


Of Beating Hearts and Broken Minds

by ViolentAddict



Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Everyone's Damaged in their Own Way, F/M, Like a shit ton of OCs, OCs - Freeform, Pre-Joker, Psychopath, Romance, Who was there before Harley?, origins story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 14:47:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 34,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9077257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViolentAddict/pseuds/ViolentAddict
Summary: Her undying affection, his gradual descent into madness. Two bruised and broken people light the flame of a damnable and demented romance. He illuminates the dark for her and she opens his world, but when it all goes up in smoke, how can she trust him to stop the nightmares when he's the one causing them? In which there are a hell of a lot of Dracula quotes, mysteries that need to be solved, obsessive love, dark lies, dirty secrets and a boy and a girl in way over their heads. This is the story of how anyone can go mad; all it takes is a little...push. ;)Crossposted from Fanfiction.net.





	1. It's Alright Ma, I'm Only Bleeding

**Author's Note:**

> <3

Jupiter Harlow stands at the entrance of Gotham City Bank in the pouring rain, waiting and wishing for a miracle. She doubts it will come, but hopes anyway. The fact that she hasn't remembered to walk with an umbrella compels her to think that today isn't going to be a lucky one.

She takes a few deep breaths before gathering the courage to walk in and face her fate.

The bank is busy – as most banks tend to be – which means that the queues to the tellers are quite long, but she doesn't mind, hoping that the time waiting can be spent calming her nerves and maybe attempting to make sense of the life that has turned upside down in a matter of a few weeks.

With her big move from Bishop, California to Gotham and her acceptance into med school, everything seemed to be looking up. But after only a few days she realized that it took more to live in the city than hopes and dreams, and that the tiny amount of cash she scraped up from saving for three years at her small, minimum wage job at a clothing store wasn't enough to survive.

So it was either get a loan or get out, as she didn't really know anyone here to help her. She didn't want to move back home; that would be utter humiliation and disappointment among other things and she wasn't quite prepared for that.

She was a rationalist as well as an optimist – a dangerous combination – but she'd been doing just fine all along. And she knew that things would work out, they just had to, and even if they didn't work out the way she wanted, that was life and that was just how it went sometimes. Tough cookies.

The line continues to move and before she knows it, she's the next person.

The teller, a young woman with auburn hair whose name tag reads Marie, smiles at her before giving her the standard Gotham Bank greeting. Jupiter gives Marie a smile of her own, belying her nerves.

* * *

 

"What do you mean I can't get a loan?" Jupiter knows she's being loud and is probably startling many of the other bank customers, but she couldn't care less.

"You have very poor credit and you're over eight thousand dollars in debt. I'm sorry Miss Harlow, but you aren't eligible for a loan." Craig, the man Marie referred her to, looks apologetic despite the firm tone he's using.

Jupiter feels the blood leave her face. Eight thousand dollars? How on earth had she racked up so much in debt? It wasn't feasible. She feels as if she is going to be violently sick.

"How do I have poor credit? It's not like I've been spending frivolously!" But then she remembers Gotham U, School of Veterinary Science and the outrageous tuition that came along with attending.

Craig ratifies her fear by showing her the supporting, incriminating evidence: her account info. Soon he has to usher her back to her seat because she looks too pale. She complies, having not even realized that she had stood up in the first place.

"You don't understand," she hears herself say. "I need this loan, without it I can't afford vet school, not to mention all of my bills. Please, there must be something you can do?"

Craig purses his lips and looks down at his hands. "I'm sorry ma'am, but there's nothing that we can do here for you."

She doesn't waste any more time. She picks up her bag, thanks the man and rises from her seat to leave. It's like walking into a fog – she can't believe any of this, it's like her world is crashing all around her. What is she going to do now?

On her way out she bumps into someone and despite not being in her right mind, she still has the sense of common decency to apologize. The man smirks at her.

"It's fine," he says and his green eyes flash with something she can't quite understand.

It is hard to look away, but somehow she manages. She gives him a small, weak smile of her own, but it doesn't touch her eyes. She leaves without another word.

* * *

 

Jupiter's having a rough night. She hasn't eaten since an hour before the bank fiasco and her body decides to punish her by giving her a massive headache. At midnight she gets out of bed to take some aspirin. She doesn't make it two feet out of the bathroom before she collapses on the floor in tears.

All that keeps repeating in her head is the harrowing thoughts of not knowing what to do. She knows Gotham is crime-infested and that there are loan sharks out there, but she, like many normal people, doesn't trust anything that is lethal and not legitimate.

She can't help it; she cries for a little while. She hates crying and although she knows it's a normal and sometimes abnormal reaction to certain life events, she can't help but feel weak.

Her mother had always told her that strong women never cried, but then again, her mother's answer for handling sadness was always to find happiness at the bottom of a whiskey bottle.

Feeling both angry and defeated, Jupiter rises from the floor. She catches a glimpse of herself in her bathroom mirror and gasps. Her slate-grey eyes are dulled from their usual brightness and her hair, which is usually a tangled, strawberry blonde mess, is now a tangled, poofy mess thanks to lying on the bathroom floor a little too long.

She looks like someone who's been crying, or worse, someone who died and got electrocuted back to life.

Well, she wasn't going to take this lying down. At least, Michael wouldn't expect her to. If he were here with her, he would have made calls to everyone he knew to try and help her.

She frowns. If her best friend were here, he wouldn't have approved of her moving from California. Heck, she wouldn't have even needed to move in the first place. But with his death and her parents' ever growing problems, it was just too much.

It took her a lot just to move to Gotham and she wasn't going to just let something like financial troubles force her to move back.

Still, she hadn't the first clue where to turn. Instead, she takes out her phone and lets the last voice message she received from Michael play in the background while she struggles to sleep.

The next day, Jupiter, with the renewed clarity one gets in the morning, decides that getting a job in Gotham would be a great start to getting out of her debt.

She calls a few numbers but it doesn't go so well. She's twenty-two and her only work experience is being a retail sales clerk for a relatively unknown store, so she gets rejected numerous times.

But she doesn't let that discourage her. By the time afternoon turns to evening, she's resolved to try again the next day.

A glance at the clock tells her that the hour of her therapy is approaching. Not wanting to be late, Jupiter gets ready and heads out the door.

* * *

 

It's always different here, but not a good different; it's more like an uneasy different. The constant changing of the mood always makes her uncomfortable.

 _Is this what support groups are supposed to feel like?_ She wonders, staring around at the people sitting in a circle.

The counselor, Mrs. Avery, is a plump woman with a kind face but tired eyes. She tries her best to make everyone feel at home but Jupiter can't help feeling jarred by that. How comfortable can one be in a room of people talking about death?

Sometimes she can't help but wonder why she comes to these things, though she knows the answer: in some way, it helped her feel better to talk about Michael to a group of strangers who could understand.

She doesn't believe in healing to perfection, but of reaching a place where it wouldn't hurt too much to think of him.

She doesn't really cry anymore about it. She can talk about it as if she's merely reciting a monologue from someone else's life, of someone else's story. Mrs. Avery, or Catherine as she wants to be called, always tells her that she should try to sort out the emotions instead of running from them. But the truth is, to her, it doesn't even feel like running, just trying to avoid drowning by swimming against the current.

She hasn't realized that she's lost in her thoughts until Emily, the lady who always sits next to her, nudges her. "Jupiter? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. A little tired, but I'm fine."

Emily frowns, but doesn't say another word. Jupiter sort of wishes that Mrs. Avery would hurry up and start, but the older woman is speaking with another counselor and from the looks of it, it may be another minute or two.

 _Soon the latecomers will be arriving_ , she thinks. There's Terry and there's Jeff. Two brothers who live on the outskirts of Gotham. They lost their youngest brother in a fire. They are kind souls, but their story isn't for the faint of heart.

As the commencement time is approaching there is a knock on the door before someone strolls in. Jupiter expects it to be Jeff and Terry but instead she's surprised to see a stranger.

He's wearing a suit and Jupiter surmises that he perhaps just came from work. He rakes a distracted hand through his closely cropped, shorn blond hair and looks around the room until he spots Mrs. Avery. He strides over to her and gives her a smile.

Jupiter can't help but think that his smile is awfully familiar.

* * *

 

As is custom, Mrs. Avery has them all introduce themselves. Emily stands up when it's her turn. She talks about her sister going missing five years ago and how she still has hope that she's alive.

Everyone nods, including Jupiter.

Jupiter listens aptly to every story, even the ones she's heard before. They sort of make her feel safe. These people are proof that she's not alone and that she can have a successful life despite her pain.

Then it is the blond man with the striking green eyes' turn. He stands up.

"My name is Adam, Adam Mitchell. And I lost my grandmother a year ago to breast cancer." His voice cracks at that and he lets out a shaky breath.

"Welcome Adam," the room echoes. Warm smiles flash at him.

Jupiter's heart swells. A year ago? So soon? How awful that must have been!

Adam continues. "She was the only person who I trusted and I loved her the most. Some days it's hard to believe she's actually gone."

"That's understandable Adam. And we are all glad that you chose to come here," Mrs. Avery says. She starts to give him the rap about how they are all there to heal. Jupiter can't help but tune her out and instead focuses on Adam, who is perhaps the most interesting person in the room.

Once it's time to take a break, Jupiter's grateful. She rises from her seat and goes over to the water dispenser.

Emily is over at the snack table chatting with Adam, who seems to have loosened up and is laughing at something she said.

Jupiter gulps the water while she studies the painting behind the dispenser. She doesn't know much about art, but she finds this painting quite bizarre with its depressing colors and smudged images.

"Do you like Pieter Bruegel the Elder?" a voice asks from behind her.

Startled, she turns around to find that it's only Adam, apparently done talking with Emily. "I-I'm not really familiar with his work, so I can't fully judge his art."

Adam seems dissatisfied with that answer. "Is this the only painting you've seen of his?"

She nods.

"He really is a genius you know? They have his art in the Gotham Museum of Art History. I'm sure you've seen some of his work there."

"Actually I'm new to the city."

He nods, considering. "Well, you should check it out. One day." Then, "I'm sorry but I never caught your name."

"I didn't give it. I mean, I never introduced myself."

"Why not?"

"It wasn't my turn."

Adam laughs at that and it throws Jupiter off guard. His laugh is carefree, effortless. She can't help but smile in response.

"My name's Jupiter." She extends a hand to him.

Adam takes it. "Beautiful name. Did you ever think of the nickname Jubee?"


	2. Hand Covers Bruise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jupiter and Adam make small talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3

The next day proves to be a lot better; even though she doesn't get any interviews or callbacks, she finds herself feeling more optimistic than yesterday.

Jupiter decides that she doesn't want to waste her youth moping, so she puts on her jogging clothes and goes for a run.

She's circling back to her apartment complex after her invigorating run, when almost a dozen cop cars pass by her. Many people stop to see what the commotion is and when she follows them with her eyes, she sees that the police cars are heading in the direction of Gotham City bank. _It can't be_ , she thinks, _it has to be somewhere else…_

She sprints up the steps of the complex, quickly unlocks her apartment door and turns on the t.v., finds the news and then it's confirmed by the news announcer – a group of men held the bank up at gun point…caught all of them except one…he is still at large.

A sliver of fear crawls up her spine. She knew that Gotham was dangerous, she just didn't know it was _that_ dangerous!

And then the news announcement continues…masked crusader known as the Batman is on the move to find gunman…every police officer in the city is searching as well…

Jupiter shuts the television off. It's just too much.

* * *

 

Days pass by and Jupiter finds that she's getting bored with the same routine. It's a Wednesday afternoon when she decides to spend some money from her pitiful savings on a little bit of self-indulgence in the form of Starbucks coffee.

She walks into the establishment, gets a chocolate muffin and a Chai tea latte, and goes to a nearby park to enjoy her little meal.

She doesn't usually people-watch, but she figures it's probably healthier to do that than stare at her phone the whole time on social media.

People are jogging, kids are playing, and it's a beautiful day in Gotham. Life has sort of returned to normal after the robbery. She's glad for that, glad that the constant threat to Gotham's peace hasn't stopped people from living their lives.

Jupiter's rubbing crumbs off her face when she feels someone tap her shoulder. When she looks up she's surprised to see Adam from group therapy. _Didn't he have a last name?_

He grins at her, his remarkable green eyes sparkling with delight. "Jubee! Fancy meeting you here!"

Jupiter is temporarily stunned by his smile before giving one of her own. "Hi Adam. Yeah, it's a beautiful day. Thought I'd take advantage of it and come to the park. What are you doing here?" She takes in his attire. He's not wearing his suit anymore like the last time she saw him and is instead wearing jeans and a light blue button down shirt. He looks relaxed, comfortable and coupled with the smile he's wearing, it makes her feel comfortable as well.

But she supposes that that could just be the effect he has on people; this disarming charm he has. Like a sun, pulling people into his orbit.

"Makes sense," he nods, "I was just taking a walk. But I'm not busy right now, mind if I join you?"

Jupiter nods and feels the warmth of Adam's body heat as he sits next to her. He's not even that close - there's a space between them - and yet she can feel him as if he's her own personal radiator.

"Crazy, the whole Bank robbery thing huh?" Adam says, looking across at a playground where a little girl is sliding down a mini slide.

"I know! It is crazy. We didn't have anything like that happen in Bishop!"

Adam chuckles. "Well this isn't Bishop. This is Gotham and I'm afraid a lot of insane stuff happens here. Ever heard of Batman?"

Jupiter frowns. "Yeah, I'm a little confused about that 'masked crusader' mess. Is it true?"

"Yep, but at least once a month we have some loon dressed up in tights trying to save the city. This Batman guy is the only one to last this long. The rest of them get into fatal accidents. But I'll give Batman another three months, if he doesn't get hurt he may get seriously bored."

Jupiter laughs. "Hmmm, I guess there's never a dull day in Gotham."

"You've got that right. Which reminds me, I meant to show you the Art Museum." Adam states, turning to face her.

"I'm still holding you to that." She smiles. Their eyes meet for a second, and Jupiter feels the blood rush to color her cheeks. Adam leans in to brush a fly away hair out of her face before giving her another genuine grin.

"Do you have time now?" He asks.

Hypnotized, Jupiter nods.

"Great!" He takes her hand in his and once they're both standing, he leads her out of the park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3


	3. Up in the Clouds, Far From the Ground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jupiter and Adam get to know each other a little more.

The art museum isn't too far from the park, but Jupiter finds that she wouldn't mind even if it was; Adam's so easy to talk to, and even when he isn't speaking, his natural energy is so potent that it makes her content to just walk beside him, comfortable.

There are no awkward silences with him, just peaceful lulls in the conversation. They talk mostly about the weather, but when they get to the museum and he's showing her some of his favorite art pieces, Adam's passion and intellect really shine through.

She almost finds it hard to focus on anything but the soft timbre of his voice as he shows her each piece, explaining what he likes about them as well as the artist who did them.

And Jupiter, who had never been to a museum in her adult life, starts to enjoy it thoroughly. If Adam weren't such interesting company she would actually wander off, exploring on her own, getting lost in the huge expanse of pretty walls and polished tiles, of paintings and sculptures.

But Adam, whose beautiful eyes dazzle when he sees something that catches his attention, remains at her side being the ever cheerful and efficient tour guide.

Once they've practically seen everything the museum has to offer, Adam invites her for a late lunch. "The diner across the street has terrific apple pie." He professes.

And it's hard to say no to him, not that Jupiter had any plans in the first place, but when he extends his hand to her, she takes it without hesitation.

* * *

 

"I'm not from around here," Adam admits, before taking a sip of water. They've found a nice space and are sitting across from each other, it's almost intimate but Jupiter can't find it within herself to panic at that. "My family's from Austin."

Jupiter blinks, feeling more intrigued. "Austin, Texas?"

"Yep."

"So what are you doing all the way here in Gotham?"

Adam smirks and Jupiter assumes it's because she did a poor job of hiding some of the eagerness from her voice. "I have no family left. The only other living member was my grandma and she passed."

Jupiter nods. _His accent is faint, but it's there._ "You're here alone?" It's more of a statement than a question.

Adam pins her with his amused green eyes. "I do have friends, Jubee."

She nods again. "Of course."

"What about you? Why are you in Gotham?" He takes a bite of a french fry while Jubee takes a sip of her fruit smoothie.

"I had nowhere else to go." She looks out the window and tries to keep her face neutral and her voice steady. "When I lost my best friend, California seemed like a lonely, desolate place."

She almost jumps when she feels his larger, warm hand cover her smaller one on the table. "It's going to be alright." And his voice holds so much promise that Jupiter's mind, for once, doesn't come up with a refute.

* * *

 

Jupiter's laughing so hard it feels as if her face is going to burst into confetti - Adam is explaining about the numerous vigilantes or 'superheroes' that Gotham has had. To Jupiter, they all sound like silly thrill seekers.

He lets her take the last piece of apple pie, before paying the bill and offering to drive her home, which she agrees to.

Adam's car looks expensive and as soon as Jupiter sees it, she feels sort of subpar standing next to it. Would he want a friend like her if he saw that she literally came from nothing? Or would he pity her?

Sensing her hesitation, he touches her shoulder. "Jubee? Are you alright?"

She nods, trying to gain some semblance of sense. "I'm fine, I'm just a little stunned." That's when he takes her hand and leads her to the passenger side, where he opens the door for her. "Don't be." Is all he says, giving her one of those smiles that would make Adonis jealous.

The car ride isn't long, Adam turns on the radio and Jupiter listens aptly to the songs playing. Most of them she doesn't recognize, she actually physically winces. Music used to be one of her most favorite things, but after Micheal's...Well after _that_ , it all sounded like noise to her. And yet, with Adam, it's _different_. Pleasant even.

Once they're at the front of her apartment complex, they just stand and talk some more. The weather is still nice even though it's a little dark out now. Jupiter feels no need to hurry, she feels almost remorseful that today has to end. She's reluctant to leave Adam, to leave his orbit.

"We should do this more often." He says, placing his hands in his pockets and looking up at the few stars in the sky.

"We should."

"Hey, I hope you don't mind me asking but Jupiter's a lovely name. It's actually unique. Was it your parents' favorite planet?" There's mirth in his voice, but it's not vicious teasing, it's light with a hint of true curiosity.

She shrugs. "I _guess_. I think it's very fitting for me because my head's always up in space." She giggles.

Adam gives her a crooked smile, then he comes a little closer to her. He's taller than her by a whole foot but Jupiter doesn't feel threatened or dwarfed by him, but just _right_ , like a puzzle piece that has found where it needs to fit.

"You know you're beautiful? Especially when you laugh like that."

She nods, trying to negate it all. She didn't hate compliments, she just didn't ever think there was one that existed that suited her. But she feels a firm, but gentle hand tilt her chin until she's staring into earnest, sea green eyes. His thumb traces her lower lip before his hand slips away and Jupiter immediately misses the warmth.

"Don't ever sell yourself short, Jubee."

He's about to turn away when she stops him by putting a hand on his arm. "I can't be the girl for you," She warns him, because it's the truth. "I'm simply a hurricane, I'm just destruction and bad news. It'd do you good if you know that-that nothing can ever happen between us."

"If you're a hurricane, I'm an earthquake." He says and before Jupiter can argue with him, he turns and presses his lips to hers.

And it's like something awakens in Jupiter. All those years of being too careful, of tip-toeing on the edge of every relationship trying to keep things afloat, all melt away. The innocence of the kiss doesn't last long as natural desperation pours in. She can't damage him, she sees that somehow. Her hands are on his shoulders while his fold around her waist and she no longer feels as if she's simply revolving around the sun, she feels as if she freaking melded into it. But instead of it burning, it's more of a pleasant hum. Where two natural disasters meet, the world has no hope.


	4. Set Apart This Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You'll always be my hero, even though you've lost your mind..."
> 
> \- Love the Way You Lie (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "You build your castles in the skies  
> Stars reflecting off your eyes  
> And angels sing on silver clouds
> 
> And no one cries, screams or shouts"
> 
> \- 'Set Apart this Dream' Flyleaf

When they finally pull apart, it's to catch their breaths. Adam presses his forehead to hers and stares deep into her eyes. His cool green searching her ice grey as if he wants to somehow reassure himself that she's real. That if he blinks, she won't disappear. Jupiter, who feels dizzy and lightheaded, but in the best way possible, can do nothing else but give him a lazy smile. Her heart is beating fast and she's sure from so close that Adam can possibly hear it, but she can't find it within herself to care.

It's surreal, so insanely surreal. When he leans in to kiss her again, gentle and tender this time, it's just as good, if not better than the first one.

But then he's pulling away, not far, but not as close as he was before. And yeah, Jupiter is definitely resenting every centimeter of space between them, no matter how infinitesimal.

He runs a hand through his short blond hair, and lets out an easy, yet breathless laugh, his eyes are twinkling as he stares at her in wonder. "Where have you been all my life?"

Jupiter beams, unable to help it. "I could ask you the same thing."

"Well, I must have done something right in a past life." He says matter-of-factly. "Because women like you don't just fall out of the sky and into the arms of men like me. Except, in our dreams, maybe."

She shakes her head. "I meant it you know? When I said that I can't be the girl for you." The words taste bitter. "I'm going to screw this up, somehow." She frowns.

He pulls her close again in an effort to comfort her - it works. "Everyone is a little rough around the edges. God knows I have my own demons." Adam points out before placing a chaste kiss to her temple. "But you're more than worth it to me. I think I can handle just about every curveball you throw my way."

The blood colors her cheeks and so she buries her face in the junction of Adam's neck and shoulder. "You're impossibly persistent." It's a bit muffled by the material of Adam's jacket but she's sure he heard her.

"And I'm prepared to stay like this. Now, I'm having a hard time deciding if you're a dream or a miracle. I think you're both. And I wouldn't trade you for anything in the world."

* * *

 

The next couple of months are like a wave of joy and happiness for Jupiter. She and Adam don't exactly announce their relationship to the world but everyone pretty much figures it out when it's obvious how inseparable they are.

They go on dates, they go to support group, spend nights together either curled up on Jupiter's tiny couch watching Netflix or she's playing cards with Adam, Terry and Jeff from support group and Adam's friends inside his huge penthouse (she found out that he's an architect, not that it mattered to her that much what his salary was or what he did for a living but it was still nice to no longer have to _guess_ ).

They take it slow, Adam never seems to want to rush anything and because of his overwhelming patience, Jupiter figures out what it is that she wants. It doesn't take her long to give up her apartment and move in with him - although Adam was partly to take credit for that idea, and he even offered her a job working as a secretary in one of his offices. Which she took part time before going to vet school in the evenings. When she told him about her debt, he offered to pay it off, but this is where Jupiter put her foot down. She wanted to keep that part of her financial independence. Although Adam rightfully argued that being in debt was the complete opposite of financial independence, she stayed firm. And, never being able to deny her anything, he let the subject go.

The only person uncomfortable with Adam and Jupiter's relationship (besides her mother whom Jupiter tried to keep limited contact with) is Emily. She started to seem overly concerned with Jupiter lately and was always trying to get Jupiter to talk to her more, sometimes about Adam, sometimes about Michael. But Jupiter feels that it's none of her business and writes Emily off as being a sweet but paranoid person that she doesn't want much to do with.

When she and Adam finally make love, it's on a Wednesday in the beginning of Spring. They're in Adam's huge living room, in front of the electric fireplace lying on a comfy rug with blankets. Adam asks her constantly if she's sure because it's a level in their relationship they've never reached. But Jupiter's never been surer of anything in her life, except that she loves Adam - that she's absolutely positive. She wants to give herself to him completely.

It's nothing like it seems in the movies or in books or in pictures, it's _so much_ better, especially when Adam confesses to her his feelings and Jupiter floats to Cloud Nine.

Things start to get even better - one day as she's going into the bank to make a payment towards her student loans and the debt, the teller declares her debt free.

It puzzles Jupiter as she doesn't know how it's possible. And she knows it couldn't be a fluke on the bank's part because they hadn't fully recovered from the robbery all those months ago - giving money away wasn't in their list of possible priorities, even by mistake.

A small part of her thinks that maybe Adam's to blame but when he assures her over the phone that it isn't him, even going as far as walking into the bank to see for himself and being genuinely shocked, Jupiter just chucks it to small miracles and decides to put it out of her brain.

And then one night, Jupiter decides to take the bus home from school, unbeknownst to Adam as he wouldn't understand that sometimes a girl just needed a break from the lavish life.

She falls asleep and misses her stop and isn't aware of anything until the bus driver is calling the last stop. Reluctantly, Jupiter gets off the bus and realizes almost immediately that she doesn't recognize this foreign place. It looks like the slums of Gotham.

Quickly, Jupiter pulls out her cellphone to call Adam, but is disheartened when she sees the no signal icon pop up.

She's scared and alone at night in one of Gotham City's worst parts with no one to call for help. And it isn't like she's inconspicuous. She freaking smells of money, with all the rich perfumes and clothes that Adam spoils her with.

It doesn't take long for her to get accosted by some scary looking men. At least two brandish knives while the other two grab her. Luckily, Jupiter has the sense to scream but she knows that won't do her much good here…

But just as all hope is lost, someone comes to help. He's wearing all black and immediately starts to beat the living shit out of the men who tried to hurt Jupiter.

When the battle is done and Jupiter's almost safe, she feels compelled to thank the masked person properly. "Thank you for saving my life err…"

"Call me Batman." The gravelly voice requests and Jupiter nods.

* * *

 

She didn't remember at the time of the rescue but as Adam's asking her for the hundredth time what happened, when she's finally back in their penthouse and _safe_. Once again finding herself explaining to him the details, she gets to her feet and yells "He's the masked crusader!"

Adam is obviously confused so she explains to him. "Batman. The guy in tights."

He rolls his eyes before schooling his expression into one of seriousness. "Jubee, you can't just do things like that. Thank God that guy was there, but next time you may not be so lucky, you should be more careful." He moves to sit beside her on the couch, slipping an arm around her waist and pulling her close so that she can feel his warm breath against her temple, he kisses her softly and then says gently, "I just don't know what I'd do if I lost you. I think I'd probably self-destruct."

And Jupiter leans her head against his shoulder, thinking about the world without Adam. She survived it without Michael, but she doesn't think she can survive losing someone she loves a second time. The idea is just unfathomable. Completely unfathomable. She closes her eyes and tries to breathe, tries to will the unease away. She doesn't realize that she's gripping his hand so tight that her nails are making indents into his flesh until he's rubbing soothing circles into her back to calm her down. "It's okay, I'm here." He reassures her.

"I will never put you through that." She declares, eyes burning with honesty.

He caresses her face gingerly with the pads of his strong, lean fingers. "I believe you darling."

She leans into his touch, the inevitable memories of the days and weeks after Michael's passing and the ensuing depression flood her mind but she doesn't fight them this time. "I love you way too much to put you through that." She adds.

He kisses her and effectively chases away the last of the scary and sad memories, for now..."No one else means as much to me as you do."

"You're the best thing in my life."

"You're my entire world, Jubee."

Maybe she wasn't healed, but with Adam, she felt whole and that meant more to her than anything.


	5. Like Diamonds in the Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is trouble in paradise and we are introduced to Detective John Blake.

_Four years later…_

There is something eerily suspicious about the bank robbery case. Detective Robin John Blake looks over the files again for perhaps the thousandth time since the case was declared cold. He can't understand why the one man, the mastermind behind the whole scheme according to the evidence and testimonies of the other perpetrators, can't be found.

All the suspects that were arrested gave out very little information - it was as if they feared the consequences of ratting out "The Boss" rather than looking forward to the possibility of getting a better sentence.

They never even gave a name, or a proper description of what he looked like. When asked why they decided to work with someone they knew absolutely nothing about, the only reply most of the suspects gave the interrogators was that the guy was very charming. "He could sell ice to an eskimo. Sure he was a little off, but the promises he made..." One suspect, a certain Rusty Daniels, admitted. "But the funny thing is, I don't think he even needed the money."

Blake goes over that last line in his head several times a day…

It was a sheer miracle that the case was reopened. Though his initial hope was short-lived when Blake was informed that the only reason they reopened it was because they suspected local mobster Antoine Rotelli to be the main guy.

Somewhere, deep in his gut, Blake doubts it's Rotelli. No one listens to him though, not even the Chief. "All the evidence points to him."

They go on a wild goose chase, following every lead no matter how small. And the more evidence points to Rotelli, the more Blake feels as if it's just too easy, as if the mobster's been framed maybe. He doesn't have much proof, just his instincts and so understandably, his colleagues become skeptical.

That is until they find Rotelli dead in an abandoned farmhouse, it clearly being a homicide.

It doesn't make sense to Blake. Wouldn't this perp be happy that Rotelli was getting wrongfully blamed for the bank robbery while he was able to get away with it? Unless he wasn't pleased by the lack of attention?

To Blake's gratification, his colleagues finally get up to speed and realize that "The Boss" must be responsible for Rotelli's murder, and by the way the murder was sloppily done, more to get Rotelli to actually die than to torture him, it seemed as if it was his probably his first murder. He wanted to send a message and that message was certainly received…

* * *

 

Jupiter's done with vet school and is doing an internship at a subsidiary clinic of Wayne Medical, a branch of Wayne Enterprises. Although the money is really good, she loves the animals more and the people.

Her relationship with Adam has been strong, but faltering a bit because lately he's been acting a bit distant, both emotionally and physically. He hasn't been willing to have sex with her as much as he used to , and if he isn't gone away on business, he's somewhere else, doing things without her. Still, because she trusts him, she just chalks it up to his job becoming more demanding and that he just needs space.

That is until he just stops talking to her completely.

It's like he became a ghost, that's all Jupiter can describe it as. Because she doesn't know how else to describe the blank expression on his face when he's home or the dead silence that greets her when she tries to talk to him.

When Jupiter realizes that she's spent the fourth night in the row crying herself to sleep in an empty bed. She decides to confront him.

"Are you cheating on me?" She questions an always oblivious (or maybe she's the oblivious one?) Adam who walks in one day in the early hours of the morning, dressed in his work clothes, having not come home the night before. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she repeats the question.

"Of course not, Jubee!" He barks, but his eyes aren't that bright jade that they usually are, the eyes that _complemented_ his boyishly handsome face. No, instead they're a rather cool mint and they examine her rather shrewdly as if she's merely bothering him with her accusation rather than angering him with it.

"Then why Adam? Why do you treat me like a goddamn stranger?" She feels a broken sob rising to her throat but she holds it back. She can't even look at him, because then it will hurt even more. "Why are you pushing me away?"

"Things," He lets out an exasperated sigh, "things are just a little complicated right now."

"Fine!" She yells, dissatisfied with that answer. "I'll let you work it out on your own. If space is what you need, then I'll give it to you."

"What? Jubee, what do you mean?" He asks, trailing behind her like a lost, kicked puppy. She ignores him while going to their bedroom and immediately starts packing.

She doesn't look at him, she just keeps throwing her things in the suitcase. "I'm going by Emily. Whoever it is you're screwing, I hope you're both happy."

She doesn't see him move towards her until he seizes her arms and viciously twists it, giving her no choice but to face him unless she wants her arm ripped off. "You're not going _anywhere_." He fumes.

Jupiter's never been so scared in her life. "Y-you're hurting me." Is all she can say, because for a moment her brain totally short-circuits. She tries to pull her arm away, but that just makes his grip tighten.

His eyes pin her with their smoldering depths. "You _can't_ _leave_ me." He warns, "You _won't_ leave me."

"P-please Adam, please let go." And to her surprise, he does.

"Shit shit _shit_!" He moves away from her as if he's been burned. "Jubee, I'm so sorry. I-I never meant-"

She doesn't hear the rest because the sound of her pulse pounding and her heart beating become deafening. She immediately looks down at her forearm and starts to flex it. The stabbing ache that shoots up to her elbow tells her that she's definitely broken or at the very least, fractured some bones.

When she comes back down to earth, she hears Adam, who is still resolutely not touching her, apologizing repeatedly. He also appears to be crying and is on his knees, begging her not to leave him.

As if in a trance, she attempts to wipe away the numerous tears that are starting to blur her vision a little and she remembers what Michael said when he witnessed her mother throw a whiskey bottle at her head: "Always call the police, never hesitate."

She moves past him, into the kitchen and picks up her cellphone. "Please come." Is all she says to the dispatcher, before succumbing to the fit of sobs that have been threatening to overwhelm her.

* * *

 

Blake is dead asleep when his phone rings; a domestic violence case...the girl can't be much older than him...better get here fast. He winces, damn it, why'd he sign up for these things? They never got any easier to hear about.

He knows why of course. Because ever since his shitty childhood growing up without his parents, he vowed to be a ray of light in this dark world. He vowed to help others, no matter how diverse their backgrounds or how tragic their cases. He wanted to be someone others could look up to and live a life he could be proud of.

Once, he's out of the cruiser and in a fancy elevator that gets him to the floor of an even fancier penthouse, grimacing briefly at the fact that the whole place reeks of the wealthy and reckless, he walks in stiffly, trying not to throw a fit when he sees the sorry ass excuse of a human sitting there talking to the other officers on the case.

The other officers greet him, and although he acknowledges them, he isn't quite looking at them but at the sack of shit they're talking to. The guy, who looks like privilege, although most of the time the truth is these attackers have had far worse childhoods than Blake, doesn't appear to _see_ him. "I'll never hurt her again." The man says, but Blake, getting the small satisfaction from breaking the rules of conduct in order to let these awful humans know just how deplorable they are, pats him on the shoulder and grits out. "That's what they all say." Before walking away to see the victim.

And Jesus, the woman really can't be that much older than him. The poor girl looks lost and scared. She's talking to Officer Duncan, who is commending her on calling the police.

When he walks in, the woman points wide, red-rimmed grey eyes on him and immediately starts crying again.

Officer Duncan tries to calm her down. "Ma'am this is my colleague, he's here to help. Ma'am do you have anywhere to go?"

The girl nods, but doesn't say anything.

"Her name's Jupiter Harlow and her boyfriend, Adam Mitchell got physical with her today." Duncan tells him, furrowing her brow. These things are never easy to talk about or hear about, no matter how many cases they deal with.

"We need to take her to a hospital, have them take a look at that arm." He commands. He hates talking about the victims as if they aren't there, but staying objective and detached helps, it makes it easier, somehow. It's how he stays sane.

"And let's get him into custody. If the sick bastard thinks he's getting away with this, he has another thing coming."


	6. But Inside I'm Screaming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You Are My Disease.

The two officers, Brady and Fletcher escort the scumbag, Adam's his name (not that Blake gives a shit) out of the penthouse, trying to create as much distance between him and the young woman, Jupiter, as possible.

But Rich Scumbag puts up a fight. Blake and Duncan are in the room with Jupiter trying to get her to relax and tell her story while they wait for the paramedics, when suddenly they hear cursing and yelling.

"I never meant to hurt her!" Rich Scumbag yells. There's sounds of a scuffle and something breaking, Duncan quickly reaches for her taser but before she can assist, it sounds as if they have it under control because the yelling stops.

Blake goes to check and he sees that the officers have successfully put handcuffs around Scumbag's wrists and he's no longer acting like a wild animal, he seems to have calmed down.

Blake smirks to himself, scumbags like him always think that they're invincible, especially after attacking someone less capable than them, but then the attackers get a wake up call when the police get involved. Every time.

"You guys got this?" Blake asks Fletcher. The other man nods while Brady gets Adam to stand properly. And that's when Blake feels it; this cold, crawling sensation. When he looks up, Rich Jackass is staring straight at him, it immediately turns his blood to ice, but it isn't because he's scared - he's never afraid of these fools, mainly always disgusted with 'em, and that's the case here. But it's not just disgust that's making him cringe, it's _that_ _look_ , he's only seen it a handful of times in his career, but it's never something one gets used to. It's the look of raw, potent _evil_.

"Take him away." Blake orders, turning away. He's had enough of this for today, Lord knows. He goes back to the bedroom where Jupiter is sitting up and finally speaking to Duncan. They get her story down...there was an argument...cheating accusation...he twists her arm. They wait, thankfully the paramedics don't take too long to come, they get her to the hospital where Duncan keeps watch over her.

Blake winces when he hears that the poor girl broke some bones, but he feels some hope rise when Duncan informs him that the estimated healing time is around six weeks.

When interrogating the bastard, Adam confesses about injuring Jupiter's arm but he admits that he doesn't remember much. "The only thing I remember is seeing myself yell at her and grab her wrist. But it was as if I was watching from a screen. It didn't even look like me. And then when I came to, her arm was broken and it was all my fault."

They question him some more: does he get these blackouts often? Is he usually violent when they happen? Adam doesn't answer much, apparently to him, this is as confusing to him as it is to them.

Blake isn't surprised when Rich Boy has to spend the night in jail and has a case awaiting him the next day.

Duncan explains to Jupiter that Adam is going to have a court case the next day before a decision is made about his fate. The girl seems to understand fine and thanks him and Duncan before excusing herself to call someone. When she returns, she looks relieved and a bit more alive. And in the back of Blake's mind, he wonders what kind of monster would even think about putting their hands on her.

"Do you have someone to pick you up?" Blake asks her. "Yes," She smiles but it doesn't touch her eyes. "My friend Emily is coming for me."

"Will you be alright? If you need anything, anything at all-" Blake chalks it up to not getting enough sleep and having a bleeding heart as to why he cares maybe a bit too damn much. Jupiter smiles at him again, dammit she really needs to stop doing that, and Duncan gives him a look but he ignores her. "I'm fine, really." Jupiter insists.

Duncan and Blake wait for Emily to show up, they take down her and Jupiter's information. Minutes later, when Blake watches Jupiter's retreating form, he is suddenly reminded of the reason he chose this job - to speak up for others whose voices go unheard.

* * *

 

Emily's house is cozy, but it isn't Jupiter's _home_. She shudders, home was supposed to be with Adam and now, now that's all gone.

Jupiter does not cry. She sits in Emily's little kitchen, a mug of hot chocolate warming her hands while Emily tidies up. Mason, Emily's three year old son, walks in and wraps his tiny arms around her leg, whimpering and Emily picks him up.

"He's supposed to be in bed by now but I don't think he can sleep. He was probably having a nightmare." The woman with the mousy brown hair says, cooing the little child. _You and me both,_ Jupiter thinks, watching Mason as he seems to accept his mom's comfort, _except you're lucky - you can always wake up_.

Looking down at the dark yet delicious smelling liquid, she takes a sip. She knows that tomorrow is going to be a long day - one filled with many tests on her emotions. She doesn't want to go to court, to see Adam sitting there, to see Adam at all. A big part of her is still in shock - because she never saw it coming, and another part of her, well she doesn't want to think about that part.

She doesn't want to start the long process of watching her life get from bad to worse. And yet Adam's voice, chrystal clear, fresh in her mind, is starting to haunt her - _I never meant to hurt her…_

"Jupiter?" Emily pulls her from her thoughts, startling her a little. "Yes?"

"Do you want to talk to me about it?" Her friend asks, being ever perceptive and caring. Emily noticed things and always tried to make herself involved. Maybe she was just well-meaning, but whatever the case may be, she would be biting off way more than she could chew. It wasn't as easy as just talking about it, in fact, if Jupiter could she'd never talk about it again until she was on her deathbed, old and frail, never to have to deal with her problems again.

"I'm fine." Jupiter insists. Emily frowns but doesn't press and Jupiter is grateful for that, she owes Emily so much already, for being there for her, for being patient, and yet all Jupiter can do is push her away. It's not fair, but then again, she's just another good thing that Jupiter knows she doesn't deserve…

That night, Jupiter, predictably, doesn't sleep. But she takes the opportunity to go to her happy place - the place where she used to go when things got bad, the memories of her friendship with Michael.

* * *

 

_Eight years ago_

_It's a hot summer day, the kind where popsicles melt down your hands and the sand burns beneath your feet. But they're used to this, if she and Michael were ever good at something, it is knowing how to take advantage of hot days in California._

_They're a little far from Bishop, in the awesome brilliance that is San Diego. As Jupiter leans back in the passenger seat of Michael's convertible, with the wind coursing through that halo of loose blonde hair, she feels like an unruly tanned angel._

_She says this to Michael, who grins._

_After a day at the beach, taking pictures and swimming and just being beach bums all around. Jupiter feels as if, maybe she could stay here, stuck in this world with her best friend, where nothing hurts and everything makes her smile. This world of mute suspension._

_But all good things eventually have to come to an end…_

_It's dark, music is pumping and there are people dancing, having fun. But she has to find Michael - they aren't supposed to separate._

_Luckily, he isn't far. He's just talking (or flirting rather) with some guy, Tom's his name? Jupiter isn't sure. She's always been bad with names._

_Michael takes one look at her and his smile fades. "Jupiter, what's wrong?"_

_But she feels violently ill. She's been drinking - again. And this time, she's definitely had too much. She moves to puke. Tom? Pats her on the back and Michael goes to get the car. "I'll take you back to the hotel, okay?" He says, before disappearing._

_She nods, agreeing._

_Once she's alone in the car with Michael, she asks about Tom. She's still nauseous as hell but she's happy that Michael has found someone, maybe this time he'd stop crushing on Zac Efron now that his sights are on someone more realistic._

" _Tom? His name's Josh, Jupiter."_

_Her face goes pale. And then she giggles. Michael laughs with her and it's like music. She starts to feel a little better._

" _So, do you think Josh is the one?"_

" _Jeez, I just met him tonight." But Michael's smile is lopsided and toothy._

" _Aha! Knew it." She starts giggling again._

" _You are so weird." Michael teases, so she punches him in the shoulder, softly._

_They pull up to the hotel. When they get to their room, Michael stays with her. She pukes again of course, and he's right there to hold her hair for her. "Jupiter, you have to stop drinking like this." He urges._

" _Michael, don't. Don't lecture me."_

_He smiles, but he looks tortured. "I just worry about you. I love you crazy girl." He wraps his arms around her and she inhales his cologne mixed with the scent of salt, sand and sun. "What do you think I'd do without my best friend?"_

_She stares up into his blue eyes. "I want that to be enough, you don't know how much I wish it were…" She feels the treacherous tears spill down her cheeks. She was so sick of her shortcomings, of her failures, so many times she tried to quit drinking and it didn't work. It never worked. She was just like her mother…_

" _Shhh," He coos, "Don't be like that," He says as if he can read her mind. She wouldn't be surprised if he could. "You are my rock and you do not get to say bad things about yourself. Whenever I think of you hurting yourself or damaging yourself in anyway, I get scared and...angry."_

" _I'm only human. What do you expect?" She asks, searching his eyes for an answer in their wintry depths._

" _Yeah, but you are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for."_

_He sits on the cold tile of bathroom floor and she sits beside him. "Do you need an aspirin?"_

" _Maybe tomorrow? Can you stay here with me? Do you have to go back to Josh?"_

_He smirks. "Of course. Josh wants to hang. And we can't exactly hang here, unless you want to be disturbed." He finishes saying with a wink._

" _I'm already disturbed." She deadpans. "Promise me you'll take a cab back to the hotel?" She asks earnestly._

_He comes to kiss her on her forehead. "I promise."_

_She grins wide. "Good. And I promise not to touch alcohol again for the rest of my life."_

_Michael doesn't seem amused. "You say this all the time, Jupiter."_

" _I mean it this time."_

_He rolls his eyes._

_Michael goes off into the night. He leaves after making sure that Jupiter is hydrated and has stopped vomiting. She has a rough night, there's a lot of tossing and turning and she vomits at least one more time but somehow she makes it to the next morning, feeling a little better._

_Michael isn't back yet even though it's 10:30 in the morning the next day. Jupiter doesn't think much of it especially when the hangover pains start happening._

_Eventually she falls back to sleep. She doesn't know what time it is when she wakes up again but judging from the stars shining through her window, she's guessing it's quite late. Jupiter gets a call from a number she doesn't recognize._

" _Hello?"_

" _Jupiter, it's Michael. I'm still with Josh, are you okay?"_

_Relief floods her at the sound of his voice. "I'm fine."_

" _I left you a voicemail. I got so worried when you didn't pick up on the first ring."_

" _I'm here, don't worry. Are you okay?"_

" _Jupiter?" His voice sounds unsure, scared even._

" _Yes?" Her hands are shaking and she's not sure she likes what's about to come next._

" _Something doesn't feel right."_

" _Michael, what's wrong? Do you want me to come down there?" She was already putting on her shoes, ready to cause hell. If that Tom-Josh boy whatever hurt Michael, she was going to hurt him._

" _I'm sure it's nothing it's just. I took my heart meds but I don't think they're working." His voice sounded distracted._

" _Michael where are you? How long have you been feeling like this?"_

" _A few days." Comes the voice on the other end._

" _What? Why didn't you tell me?"_

" _Didn't want to ruin your trip."_

_She rolls her eyes, affectionately for her mature, but overly-considerate friend._

" _I'm going to call an ambulance. Just stay where you are. I'm coming to get you."_

" _Jupiter, I-I don't think it's going to do any good. They always said that I wouldn't live past sixteen but I beat the odds, didn't I?"_

" _Michael, you're going to live even longer. Come on now, don't do this." But she could feel the tears forming. Michael had always had heart problems, she just didn't think it would flare up so soon, he had always been on top of it - she didn't know…_

" _I love you so much Jupiter, never forget that."_

_Jupiter's in the ambulance with Michael, who is unconscious and unresponsive. It's all a blur trying to get Michael to wake up. Once they're at the hospital and Jupiter watches them wheel him into the emergency room, she sits there begging god, begging anyone to help._

_She never gets her answer..._

* * *

 

The next day, Jupiter gets some bad news. Adam gets thirty days with bail because it's his first DV, no history of other victims, his slate is basically clean.

Within three days, one of Adam's partners from work bail him out.

Detective Blake warns Jupiter not to contact Adam at all for any reason and she heeds his warning.

"You sure you don't want to go to a shelter?" Detective Blake asks, unable to believe what he's hearing.

"I'm sure. I know it sounds crazy. But I'd rather stay with Emily. Until I can figure out my next move."

"Do you want me to drop you home? I don't think it's safe."

"If you think it's necessary."

Detective Blake is just as well-meaning as Emily. He picks Jupiter up at work at the agreed time and soon they are on the road to her friend's. "Do you drive?" Blake asks.

"I don't. I don't think I could go behind a wheel of a four thousand pound vehicle. I mean, I commend people who can do that, but I don't trust myself that easily."

He nods, understanding. "Listen, I'm sorry about the ruling. If anything, if you ever feel unsafe, I'm always here." He promises.

Jupiter winces. "You don't need to sympathize, Detective. Believe me, I'll be fine on my own."

"You don't need to do this on your own." His dark eyes flash with sincerity.

"Adam was - is my problem. If anyone's equipped to handle him if he becomes a threat, it's me."

He doesn't argue with her anymore after that. Jupiter feels that he probably thinks that she's either crazy or stupid, or maybe both. Either way, it was time she took control.

When he pulls up into Emily's driveway, she thanks him, bids him goodbye and promptly enters the house. Emily is upstairs with Mason, reading him stories and playing with him.

Jupiter is thinking of grabbing a drink and then going to see if Mason would like Jupiter to take a turn and read his favorite book 'Guess How Much I Love You' (he seems to like Jupiter's company and it's becoming routine, helping Emily take care of him, reading to him, putting him to bed, telling him about the animals she takes care of, although honestly, Jupiter is usually terrified of kids, she feels protective and nurturing towards Mason. They are a great family, Emily and her son, and Jupiter actually finds herself wondering that if her circumstances were ideal, she'd have her own family.) When she spots something at the corner of her eye.

As she gets nearer to the roses resting on the kitchen island. She is merely curious, maybe Emily has a secret admirer, Mason's father perhaps? But as she opens the card and sees the familiar handwriting, she doesn't know what to think, and she begins to feel faint.

There in Adam's impeccable cursive is a note reading: " _Even if she be not harmed, her heart may fail her in so much and so many horrors; and hereafter she may suffer-both in waking, from her nerves, and in sleep, from her dreams."_ " _I am not a monster Jubee, I'm just a man who refuses to let you go."_


	7. Omen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "How good and thoughtful he is; the world seems full of good men-even if there are monsters in it."
> 
> ― Bram Stoker, Dracula

Jupiter has to take a seat - it's just too much. Her eyes scan the card a few more dozen times before she slams the roses back down. She refuses to look at them…

Emily finds her like that, a few minutes later, staring into space with the only expression on her face being a blank one. "Jupiter, are you okay?" But Jupiter doesn't answer.

Emily sees the roses and feeling curious, she picks them up, inspecting them, because she saw them on the front porch earlier and decided to put them in the house. They seemed like an innocent gesture from someone Jupiter knew. But Emily's stomach feels heavy, unless they're actually from...she sees the card, _oh no_. "I'm calling the police." She announces, and moves to do so, until Jupiter, as if brought back to life, stops her.

"Wait." She says.

Emily's brow furrows. "What?"

"I-I don't want them being involved anymore." Her gaze floats to the ground.

"Jupiter are you insane?" Cringing at that, Jupiter rises from her seat, she goes over to Emily who is staring at Jupiter like a spooked animal. "Look if this is about that stupid ruling," Emily offers, "then Jupiter I understand, the Justice System failed you, but -"

"This is not about the damn ruling Emily!"

The other woman frowns. "Then what is it Jupiter, why do you think delaying the inevitable is going to change anything? They need to know."

"Because Adam is my problem okay? The police can't do anything. They can't help me!" She goes over to the roses, grabs the card and puts it down, before taking the blood red bouquet and angrily throwing it in the trash.

"Adam's influence is way too powerful compared to mine."

Emily turns pleading, tear-filled eyes on Jupiter. "We at least have to _try_."

Jupiter ignores her, she holds up the card. "This is a quote from Dracula. It's one of Adam's favorite books. It mainly talks about fear. He's trying to warn me about something…"

Emily appears to study Jupiter's face for signs of hysteria. "Jupiter," She whispers cautiously, "I'm no literary expert here but I don't think he's just trying to be your friendly neighborhood look-out. Need I remind you that he's the guy who gave you that broken arm?" She points to the cast. Jupiter looks down at it and winces, remembering, but she says nothing.

"If you don't want to call the police at least tell Detective Blake, you need to report it to _someone_ Jupiter."

"Okay, I will." Jupiter acquiesces, because Emily is right. No one knows what Adam is capable of or what he plans to do, telling someone would at least put others on the alert. Either way, it's all about being _safe._.. Suddenly, she feels a warm hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be alright." Emily comforts, giving her a smile. Jupiter, for the first time in a long time, wraps her arms around the shorter woman, Emily accepts the embrace - Emily can't help but feel as if this is a goodbye, but she hugs back anyways, repeating her calming words.

* * *

 

The next day, Eric, Mason's father, arrives to pick Mason up for his weekly stay. Eric offers Jupiter a ride to work and she accepts. Waving goodbye to Emily, Jupiter tries not to think about the card or the roses and instead tries to focus on having a better day. Of seeing her coworkers and the animals and just being able to _forget_.

Once they arrive, she bids goodbye to Eric and gives Mason a peck on the cheek before walking into the building. She waves to the custodian mopping the floor and smiles, but for once, Jim doesn't smile back, he just stares at her, keeping his eyes on her even when she walks away.

Jupiter's heartbeat speeds up, but she tries not to think about it. She passes several other people, she sees Gary and Tamara, the receptionists at the front desk, whom she converses with occasionally. She waves at them but as soon as they see her, they stop their chatter in favor of staring at her as well, lips pressed into thin lines.

 _What is going on?_ She thinks.

Finally, it's Harry, her boss, who actually speaks to Jupiter. He places his hands on her shoulders, looking frazzled and worried, incredibly worried. "Jupiter, you have to come into the office."

She nods, not tearing her gaze away from the man, aware of the curious eyes around her piercing her back. She follows him over to the office designated for the interns, Harry opens the door, looking paler than snow. And once the door finally opens, Jupiter drops her things in shock, no words escaping her mouth - the room is filled to the brim with sunflowers, so many sunflowers…

"No…" She whispers, "Please no…"

Harry comes to her side. "Is it _him_? Jupiter, I can call someone. Just say the word and that bastard -"

But Jupiter can no longer hear him, she spots a note on the mahogany desk and goes over to it, picking it up she sees Adam's impeccable calligraphy - another Dracula quote: "There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights."

She turns to her boss who is looking at her apprehensively. "It's okay, I can handle this. I know who to call." She says bravely, belying her nerves.

Detective Blake answers on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Detective, h-he _won't_ stop." She feels a tear escape.

"Jupiter, where are you? I'm coming to get you."

"I'm at work." Is all she can say. She feels more people staring at her and annoyed and angered she steps outside for some fresh air.

"I'll be there in five minutes. Do not go anywhere. Do you hear me?"

Jupiter feels more tears stream down her face. She feels like screaming, but she knows this isn't the place to do it. "Okay." She replies before hanging up the phone.

"Jubee?" She hears his voice and she glances up quickly. He's standing there, wearing a sweater over his dress shirt and pants. "Jubee, I've missed you so much."

"St-stay away from me!"

He moves away as if her words sting. "Jubee please, don't be like this. Don't you like the flowers?" Adam inquires with true innocence, as if he really and truly believes that his gestures are simply romantic.

"Why? Why would you send those to me? To Emily's house, to my job? We're finished Adam, don't you understand that?" She practically shrieks.

Adam blinks at her. "Jubee, you can't do this to me! I love you, doesn't that mean anything to you?" He questions, before gently taking the broken arm and says, "This was all a mistake. Please know that I'd rather hurt myself than hurt you."

Silently, she weeps, closing her eyes, she doesn't want to believe him. When she opens them, earnest green eyes are peering into hers. But then there are sirens blaring and before she knows it, Detective Blake is there encircling Adam's wrists into handcuffs and reading him his rights. Adam doesn't fight, he just keeps staring at Jupiter, looking hurt but also, strangely victorious. _He's won._ She thinks, he might have lost her, but he's won something. _But what Adam, what do you win?_


	8. The Show Must Go On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Mama, just killed a man
> 
> Put a gun against his head
> 
> Pulled my trigger, now he's dead
> 
> Mama, life had just begun
> 
> But now I've gone and thrown it all away"
> 
> \- 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Queen

Officer Duncan is by Jupiter's side, she's saying something, something about taking her home maybe? Jupiter isn't sure because she can't hear or see anything except the burning image of Adam's smug face in her mind, dominating every other thought.

"Miss Harlow? Do you need me to take you to a shelter?" Officer Duncan questions. People are gathering around, watching, whispering, they're murmurs suddenly sound deafening.

Jupiter grimaces, staring in the direction of the now long gone police car. "Why? Why do I need to go to a shelter?" She manages to choke out, finding her voice somehow.

"Miss Harlow," Officer Duncan replies, "I don't think you fully understand what kind of danger you are in."

Jupiter tries to tune her and everyone else out. Her heart is beating at an uncontrollable speed and she feels slightly dizzy, she needs to sit down. And yet, she can't move. She's stuck, frozen still as if her feet are glued to the ground.

"Miss Harlow, Mr. Mitchell is not just under arrest for his alleged harassment, but he's also a suspect for the murder of Antoine Rotelli. It simply isn't safe for you to be here in Gotham right now."

"Wait, what?" Jupiter nearly yells. Officer Duncan leads her to the cruiser and Jupiter goes willingly, trying to get away from the stares, the whispers.

Once they're both settled and Officer Duncan is pulling away from the curb, Jupiter asks again. "Well," Duncan explains, "he's a murder suspect. That means he's more of a threat to your safety than we initially thought."

She thinks this over, Adam? A murderer? She suddenly remembers all those nights he'd come home late looking tired and stressed, but he wouldn't smell like another woman's perfume or alcohol. She always wondered what he did during the time that they weren't together. And then he had his mood swings...

"What if something's just wrong with him? What if he's just, I don't know, sick?" Jupiter inquires, because it seems very far-fetched to think that Adam could be capable of taking someone else's life.

The police officer shrugs, "That isn't wildly impossible. But that's for the court to make that decision. As for you, I'd be careful. With someone with his money and connections, and his alleged mental instability, it'd be smart to be aware and protect yourself."

Jupiter looks away from the officer to stare out the window at the passing city scenery. "I have nothing, Officer Duncan. Adam knows that."

"Miss Harlow, I've been in a similar position. I know it's hard, but you have to _fight_." Duncan encourages.

_What would Michael do?_

Jupiter winces. "What do you mean?"

"Domestic violence is more common than you may think. And I'm not saying it's going to be easy, some days it's hard to look in the mirror and not see that scared, hurt little girl," Duncan continues, " but believe me it's so damn _worth it_."

Jupiter nods.

"I want you to understand that we'll be here. I can even give you some numbers to call in case you suspect something is up, if someone is following you or you witness some strange behavior."

"I appreciate that. Thank you. I think I might take a little vacation." She means to say it with mirth but instead it comes out very disjointed. The words a stark contrast to the lifeless delivery.

"No problem. If you'd like I can take you back to your friend's house. We're always here if you need to call us and now that we have Mr. Mitchell in custody, we have a little more time before we can decide our next move." Duncan says, stopping at a red light. "You just have to say the words."

"Could you take me to the bus terminal after?"

Officer Duncan pauses, but her face is neutral. "I can do that."

* * *

 

It comes like a cold gust of wind, like a shock of lightning from out of the blue - the reason why Rich Scumbag is so goddamn happy to be caught as a suspect for Rotelli's murder, the reason he looks so damn triumphant. _He likes the attention_ , Detective Blake ponders. _He's finally getting the credit. But he won't possibly survive if Rotelli's underlings find out he's suspected…_

Blake is standing with Brady and Simmons watching from the two way mirror while Fletcher and Smith interrogate Scumbag. "I didn't do it." He says, leaning back in his chair, looking so damn self-righteous and comfortable.

Fletcher, who's playing bad cop, while Smith, the good cop is jotting down notes and recording at the same time. "Sure you did," Fletcher points out, "the bank robbery was supposed to be a one time incident, probably to taunt us, and then that was it. But then after it took us too damn long to find the culprit, you began to get antsy. Maybe you weren't getting enough recognition? Not enough respect, attention? So you decide to murder Rotelli because you knew it would make us hot on your trail. Well, I'll tell you this: Rotelli's minions aren't going to let this go. They're bloodthirsty and if the trials and the jail time don't kill you, they sure will…"

Mitchell (he learned the prick's last name) raises an eyebrow. "I told you - I didn't do it. And I won't answer anymore questions until I see my lawyer." The damn crooked grin remains on his face, almost as if permanently etched there. Blake feels a shiver crawl up his spine.

Fletcher shrugs and walks over to Jackass. "And what do you think is going to happen while you're here? Rotelli's gangsters won't just let you go unpunished, no matter who you think you are. They'll go after your family, your friends, your _girlfriend_ , until they get to you…"

Mitchell looks away, the smirk finally wiped off his face. _Apparently mentioning Jupiter bothers him..._ His hands clench into fists on the table and Blake sees a vein rise in his neck. When Mitchell's eyes meet Fletcher's and Smith's, they are cool mint. Fletcher doesn't flinch but Smith does.

Fletcher whispers so low that Blake would probably miss it if it wasn't so quiet in the room where he, Brady and Simmons are. "Congratulations. You just endangered everyone you love."

* * *

 

Jupiter is playing with Samson, Terry's dog who is begging to be petted. She's sitting on the balcony, drinking coffee while the guys and Terry's wife, Sarah, are in the kitchen making breakfast. They were willing to take her in when she explained to them her situation.

She could have stayed with Emily but she didn't want to put her life in any more danger than she already had. So after bidding Emily goodbye, at least for now, and packing her things, Jupiter hopped in Duncan's car and rode a bus to Lakeville, just on the cusp of Gotham where Jeff met her.

Now it's the next day, and she is remembering what it's like to be happy. It's so peaceful and quiet here, nothing like Gotham. Maybe this is what she needed - a little bit of serenity.

Terry comes out with eggs on one tray and bacon on another while Jeff and Sarah come out with a plate of biscuits and a pitcher of orange juice. They all eat silently for a while, with the occasional comment about the weather passed around. But it's Terry who really breaks the silence at one point, "So what's the game plan? Jupiter, you are welcome to stay here as long as you want but you can't tell me you aren't going to file a restraining order against the jerk."

Jeff and Sarah nod, Jeff's hazel eyes warming as he glances over at Jupiter and Sarah's ocean blue ones burning with sympathy. "He's right. You can't just ignore him. It's obvious that this guy doesn't like that."

"As long as he stays away from me, then I'll be fine. I have bigger things to worry about than Adam."

Terry raises a light brown eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Like getting back on my feet."

"Why don't you just move out of Gotham? It would probably be a wiser decision than staying there," Jeff pleads.

Jupiter chews a forkful of eggs before chasing it down with a gulp of orange juice. The food's delicious especially since she didn't remember the last time she even ate in the first place. But she takes another sip of OJ while she thinks of a way to answer without appearing abrasive or curt. "It's not that easy, believe me. Gotham has become my home now. I can't just start over."

"Jupiter, you can adapt. Gotham isn't the be all and end all of the world. Don't you have dreams, hopes?" Jeff asks.

"I just want this to be over." She says honestly.

Terry, Sarah and Jeff share a look before rising from their chairs to give her a group hug. Jupiter feels like crying, and so she does. "If only Luke were here, he'd give you some good advice." Terry says. The three of them nod.

"You're all fantastic people." Jupiter croaks. "I wish I had met him."

"He was a great guy. So kind and smart as a whip." Jeff admits, smiling fondly. "He's probably with Michael now."

Jupiter thinks about it, and agrees. Wherever they were, they were most likely in a better place.

"I think Michael would be so proud of his best friend. Of all that you've accomplished Jupiter. Please stop punishing yourself." Sarah chimes in, after being quiet for most of the morning.

"Michael was the only family I had and when he...passed, I didn't think I was worthy of anything else. How could I? When all I had in my life was bad luck and mistakes?" She admits honestly.

Sarah sweeps a stray strand of hair from Jupiter's face. "Oh Jupiter, we consider you family. You have all of us, Emily, me, Jeff, Terry. You are not alone."

Jupiter's so overwhelmed that she's shaking. Here are people who actually love her, who would hate if anything bad happened to her, and she felt the same. This was real love, not the twisted, broken kind she and Adam had, if that could even be considered love…

She hugs them even tighter. She would _fight_ , for them, for Michael, for herself. She had to.

* * *

 

Jupiter steps out of the shower, hot steam surrounds her and she wraps a towel around herself. She ties up her long blonde hair into a top knot and heads to her room to get ready for bed.

She's just struggling to get her pajamas on, thanks to the cast, when she hears a knock on the guest room door. "Come in," She chimes.

Sarah gives her a warm smile. "I just wanted to make sure you're alright and if you needed anything before Terry and I head to bed."

Jupiter shakes her head and gives Sarah a matching contented expression. "No, I should be fine. My arm's hurting a bit, but then again when is it not?" She says casually.

Sarah nods. "Do you want anything for it? Something to help you sleep, maybe, as well as help with the pain?"

Jupiter thinks about it, it was certainly tempting. She didn't remember when she last had peaceful slumber. "Okay, thanks."

The black haired woman leaves and is back in a minute with two Advil PM pills, which Jupiter takes gratefully along with the cup of water Sarah hands her.

"Crazy day, huh? It's actually the first time I've seen Jeff and Terry really talk about Luke since he passed away," Sarah confesses. "Terry blames himself for the fire, always has, but I believe he's healing now and I can't describe how wonderful it is to see that." Her azure eyes swirl with a storm of elation and fondness for her husband.

Jupiter gives a grin of her own. "Jeff and Terry are remarkable, I realized that from the first day of support group."

"You're remarkable too. You're strong, Jupiter."

Jupiter's eyes burn with unshed tears. "Thank you Sarah, but honestly, if I had to go through all that again, I don't know if I'd be the same person standing here right now. I don't know if I'd _still_ be _here_ right now."

"You're stronger than you think you are." Sarah comforts, but Jupiter still has her doubts. They hug each other before bidding each other goodnight.

It doesn't take long for the pills to kick in, and coupled with all those nights of poor sleep, Jupiter knocks out pretty fast.

She doesn't know how long it's been since she fell asleep, or what time she wakes up, she just remembers hearing a loud crash and jumping up to see what happened.

Her legs feel like lead and her head feels detached and floating as if it doesn't even belong to her. Somehow she manages to open the bedroom door and walk out to see a man dressed in all black and wearing a balaclava over his face, brandishing a knife so sharp she sees the blade glint from the dim light of a nearby window.

She doesn't scream, because her mouth feels like cotton. Jeff and Terry run out of their rooms, perhaps hearing the crash as well, while Sarah stands off to the side. The masked man, and he must be a man by his bulky build and tall stature, Jupiter guesses, completely ignores Terry and Jeff and stalks over to Jupiter.

Terry jumps at him before he can get any closer to her, but the man pushes him down. Jupiter tries her best to stop him and even though she feels like a dead body, she manages to grab his arm. She doesn't see him swing the knife at her until she feels a slash across her abdomen. Immediately she lets go of him only to lose her balance at the edge of the staircase and falls.

She hears Sarah scream, Jeff shout and Terry cry out, but she can't really focus on them because she hits the hard ground abruptly. Immense pain crashes down on her, but she can't get up, she can't run, then she hears a sound she may never forget, the loud sound of boots thudding down the stairs coming towards her.

She sees blue and red lights causing shadows to bounce across the walls and she hears the screech of sirens in the distance. The last thing she witnesses before the world goes dark is her own blood covered hand reaching for the blue and red lights, as if beckoning them to hurry…

* * *

 

"Harlow's been stabbed. They caught the guy, definitely one of Rotelli's goons." Brady informs Duncan and Blake who are sitting in Blake's office, looking over files.

Duncan's eyes immediately shoot to Blake. "How did this happen?" She asks Brady, watching Blake cautiously.

Brady averts his solemn gaze to the ground. "He broke into the Lakeville house she was staying at. What sticks out to me is that there was only one guy, you'd think there would be a swarm of them out to avenge Rotelli."

Blake's dark brown eyes flash with great concern along with anger. "Is she alright?"

Brady shakes his head, the tension in the room is palpable. "She's in the ICU at Gotham General."

That's all Blake needs to hear, he doesn't realize that he's standing until Brady and Duncan turn their gazes to him. "I need the keys to Mitchell's cell." He grits out.

Duncan moves to give it to him while Brady says seriously, "This is against protocol, but you better give him hell."

Blake grabs Mitchell by the lapels of his fancy dress shirt and slams him into the cell wall. "They hurt Jupiter and it's all your fault asshole!"

Mitchell coughs trying to get some air into his lungs since he just got his last supply knocked out of him. His confused malachite eyes meet Blake's burning obsidian ones, "What?"

"Jupiter's there in the ICU fighting for her life. And I swear to god if she doesn't - doesn't make it, I'm coming for you."

Dawn breaks across Mitchell's face. "Jubee," he whispers. A second passes before he stares Blake down. "If anyone's going to protect her it's going to be me."

"Yeah, good luck with that while you're rotting away here." Blake rages, walking away.


	9. Not All Heroes Wear Capes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "And my body was bruised and I was set alight  
> But you came over me like some holy rite  
> And although I was burning, you're the only light"
> 
> 'Only If For A Night' - Florence and the Machine

"The goon who attacked Harlow, Louis Solderini, is awaiting trial, but it looks like the least he's going to get is twelve years, and that's if he's lucky." Fletcher's voice rumbles through the phone.

"Good." Blake says, slowing the car down at a yellow light.

He can almost hear Fletcher frown from the other end. The other cop grumbles, "He confessed that another guy's out to get Mitchell, a certain Mike Benedetti, but I honestly doubt he's going to break into one of our cells just to get to the sick prick. I think he's going to wait."

"Well as long as no one's out to get Harlow anymore. I'm sure Mitchell can defend himself. He's made his bed, now he has to lie in it." He presses down on the gas and tries to see through the bleak, rainy night.

"Yep, Mitchell's an enigma, he's been awfully quiet since you left. I told him he better get used to seeing cop uniforms because he's going to be in holding for a long time. Honestly, the guy gives me the creeps. I don't know a better place for him than behind bars."

"Maybe," Blake smirks, "but Arkham Asylum seems more fitting. The sociopathic, volatile and twisted, you know - _his kind_ , always end up there."

Fletcher hums his agreement. "Where you headed anyways?" He asks, as Blake's car engine makes a particularly loud sound as he presses on the gas. "Your bed calling? I've been with this job so long, any chance at sleep I get is a gift. I can only imagine how much appreciated yours is."

Blake peers out into the lonely dark. From his windshield, it looks particularly gloomy. "No, I'm on my way to see Ju - Harlow. Duncan saw her earlier, said she was asleep. I want to see if she's alright."

"You _know_ she is; Duncan wouldn't lie to you."

"I have to see with my own eyes."

Fletcher hums again. "You're getting attached to her." It was more of a statement, and damn him, he didn't even sound surprised. "I wouldn't advise it, but seeing that you never get attached to anybody, I'm not going to go shooting down your hot air balloon in a pile of burning flames. Just be careful, you may be one of the only people left who she still trusts. You definitely don't want to hurt her and you don't want her hurting you."

Blake has to blink, he's never had such a heartfelt discussion with Fletcher before, and though it's a bit out of the blue, he isn't any less touched by it. "I'll be there for her no matter what."

"You're a stubborn bastard, but it's admirable." Fletcher chuckles.

Blake smiles, though Fletcher can't see and tells him goodbye before hanging up and turning the car to pull up in the parking lot of Gotham General.

It's way past visiting hours but Blake, being a cop, is allowed to enter - Jupiter had many cops in her room earlier, on the lookout for Benedetti in case he decided to come after her to finish the job. Fortunately, that hasn't happened.

A nurse is nearby, probably if Jupiter needs anything or to watch him, he guesses it's hospital protocol, whatever the case, she obviously doesn't see him as a problem and even leads him to Jupiter's room, knocking first before walking in.

"Miss Harlow? You have a visitor."

Jupiter isn't sleeping, instead she's sitting up in the bed, staring down at her hands. It's almost as if she hasn't even heard the door open.

The nurse gives him a soft smile. "She's been a bit down in the dumps, but her condition is stabilized." Jupiter only has an a few tubes sticking out of her including an IV, and Blake guesses that the bandages are underneath her gown.

Blake nods, not taking his eyes off of Jupiter. Her grey eyes are solemn, and her wild blonde hair is tied back into a ponytail. But her fair skin has a faint pink glow and of all the things that she could look like right now, she looks healthy. She's _here_ and in that moment it hits Blake, like it has before, just how short and _precious_ life is and how lucky they are to still be a part of it.

"Well, you have forty-five minutes before I have to kick you out, Detective." The nurse, her name tag reads Jessica Lowe, chuckles before shrugging. "I'm just doing my job."

He nods and thanks her, before she leaves the door ajar and exits.

It's a decent hospital room, the paint on the walls is a very calm blue, and the couch at the far right is laden with flowers and cards, all with the general theme of wishes for a speedy recovery. He's staring at them when he hears her speak. "Detective Blake?"

His eyes meet hers and he swears her eyes light up. Her lips curve into a warm smile. "You came to visit me?"

Blake nods. "Yeah, I brought you a magazine." He wants to kick himself, because he's never this awkward. But the last time he talked to a girl and it wasn't all work and business, was when he met Alicia in that bar. The same girl who left him two weeks later because he was too distant and cared too much about the job.

Jupiter's smile grows bigger. "That's sweet of you. Thank you." She reaches out a hand for it and he gives it to her. It's just a celebrity magazine, one that looked as if the crazy rumors were at least somewhat believable, but Jupiter examines it as if it's really special.

"How are you feeling?" He asks, he watches her as she flips through the pages.

"Better, thanks. It's just," She stops, "I was just thinking how wild everything's been."

"Yeah, I guess you've had quite an eventful ride."

She smirks. "Bishop wasn't this crazy." He laughs. "Guess you're not in Kansas anymore."

"I guess."

They fall into a comfortable silence, before Jupiter speaks. "My friends want me to leave Gotham. I was thinking about it."

Blake imperceptibly winces. "Yes, I mean, I think that would be ideal." He's right, it would be better for her if she leaves, as for him, he's going to miss her, probably more than he should. "Where'd you have in mind?" He asks, studying a pattern in the floor tiles.

She shrugs. "Someplace I can start over."

"I wish you the best of luck."

"Detective?"

He glances up at her. "Yes?"

"I can't thank you and Officer Duncan, the whole force, enough for what you've done. Really, I am grateful." She says, smiling but it doesn't touch her eyes.

"It's our job to protect and serve."

She nods. "Yes, but you do so much more than that. You guys made me feel safe." She lets out a shaky breath. He moves to stand closer to her, he doesn't want to waste anymore time that they may have. It's a dangerous slope but he knows it's a little too late for that now.

She reaches out one of her small hands to him and he places his palm in hers. She gives his hand a gentle squeeze. "I can't help but feel as if something is unfinished."

He frowns. "What do you mean?"

"As if I'm leaving more than just this city behind."

"Jupiter, if this is about -"

"I know what you're going to say and no, it isn't about him...If this is the last time that I see you, I want you to promise me something."

He nods, because that is all he can do. He feels frozen. Not only did he slide down that dangerous slope headfirst, but he has no way of coming back out and no desire to.

"You're a good man. You don't find many good people anymore. Don't ever change, unless it's to get even better."

He moves his hand to hold hers and clasps it a little tightly. "I can promise that I'll always be here, if you ever come back."

A lone tear falls from her cheek. "Thank you."

"I mean it."

"I know."

Nurse Lowe knocks on the door but Blake can't tear his gaze from Jupiter's, he's unwilling. "Detective Blake? Your time is up."

He nods, accepting this. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call." He tells Jupiter.

She smiles. "I won't. You're the first person I'll think of anyways."

He bids her goodbye and leaves. As he's driving out into the unforgiving night, he can't help but feel as if he's making a great mistake, just letting her go like that, without stopping her, and yet even he knows that sometimes, when you care about something, you have to set it free...


	10. And The Freaks Shall Inherit the Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I was a heavy heart to carry
> 
> My feet dragged across ground
> 
> And he took me to the river
> 
> Where he slowly let me drown"
> 
> \- 'Heavy in Your Arms' Florence and the Machine

When Blake returns to the precinct the next day, he finds Simmons and Smith having a heated discussion about apricots. Smiling fondly, he shakes his head - _the things those two talk about in their free time…_

Fletcher stops him on his way to the office. "You look refreshed," the older man comments, leaning against Blake's office doorframe with his arms folded.

Blake shrugs. "I had a good night's sleep."

"Yeah, yeah and I'm a monkey's uncle."

"If you say so."

"I'm guessing you had a good conversation with Harlow?"

Blake nods, but tries to keep his expression cool and neutral. "I needed to make sure she was alright."

Fletcher raises his eyebrow. "And?"

"And she was."

Fletcher's sky blue eyes soften. "Look, if there's anything you want to talk about. I'm here."

"Didn't think you were this sappy," Blake jests.

This time, it's Fletcher's turn to shrug. "Hey, you gotta have some sort of soul to work this job. You gotta be one tough mofo but you also gotta have a soft center, like a cookie or a piece of candy." Then he looks over in the direction of the holding cells. "Mitchell has asked for you."

Blake raises an eyebrow. "What does he want?"

"Well he hasn't bothered to call his lawyer, in fact, he said he didn't want to. And yet he hasn't been responsive to our questions."

Blake turns towards the direction of the holding cells. "If he's potentially going to confess, why not just talk to you?"

He doesn't see Fletcher's face, but he can tell by his tone that the man is frowning. "That's the other thing, he said he'd rather talk to you."

Blake nods, still confused but he figures he's not going to get any answers just by standing there. Although he isn't eager to see Mitchell either; the guy just isn't his favorite person in the world. He takes one look at Fletcher before walking towards the direction of Fancy Pants' cell.

Mitchell's probably the best dressed person they've had in their cells. He's sitting down on the rough bench, leaning his head back and looking very relaxed. He's in need of a shave, but other than that, he looks immaculate with his suit, corduroy sport coat and contrasting grey sweater. Blake can't help but hate him even more.

"You rang?" The detective asks sarcastically.

Mitchell's eyes open and a sick smile crests his face. "Ahh, Detective Blake. How nice of you to visit me."

"Cut the crap, Mitchell. What do you want?"

His smile widens. "I want to tell you why I did it."

Blake moves closer, he signals for Simmons and Smith to get Fletcher and record this. "Did what? Murder Rotelli?"

"Of course."

"I'm all ears."

"You see, he wasn't entitled to his life. He acted as if he deserved to be protected by his loyal followers. But he stole from me." Adam says bitterly.

"Oh?" Blake questions. "And what did he steal?"

Adam blinks, his malachite eyes turn their unwavering focus on him. "He stole my spotlight. You see you don't just take the rap for a plan you're far too dumb to execute yourself. It's bad form."

"That didn't give you the right to kill him. You can't just put justice into your own hands."

"And why not?" Mitchell's voice rises. "The Batman does it and no one stops him, in fact, some people even consider him a hero! I'm even sure he'd go after someone who decided to take his spotlight! But that's beside the point. Rotelli was just a waste of space and a distraction. He was just taking the credit for my wrongdoings, and he was enjoying every bit of the attention. So I broke into his house, drugged him and then dragged his heavy body to the farmhouse, nice place, actually, a bit old, but it's a good place to get some quiet. All it took to get him to go to that place of eternal sleep was a stab with an old pitchfork."

Blake tries not to cringe. "And then what happened?"

Mitchell shrugs. "I was debating whether or not I wanted to continue. You see, Detective. When you kill someone for the first time, it's a thrill. It's a lot different than you planned, to see the life leave their helpless eyes, the weight of the body as you drag it around, the crimson of his blood...they say nothing's like your first time…"

Blake grimaces, repulsed. He moves to get up, before Adam stops him. "Wait, Detective, I don't think you want to be next."

Blake turns around. "Are you threatening me?"

Mitchell simply shrugs. "Jubee loves me, of course not as much as I love her, with that it's like comparing an ant to an elephant. But we're going to be together."

"How? You'll be stuck here and she'll be gone, living a life without you."

Mitchell chuckles as if something is very funny. "That's where you're wrong Detective. Jubee and I will be together forever. Our love is the one thing that will never die."

The scumbag sounds so certain of it, that it makes Blake want to throw up his breakfast. He gets that familiar chill crawling up his spine again and just walks away without giving Adam a second glance.

* * *

 

Jupiter's flipping the channels of the television in her room, trying to decide what to watch even though each channel is mind-numbingly boring, when she hears Nurse Lowe arguing with someone.

"Yes, but ma'am you can't go in there. You aren't family or a friend."

"But I have to warn her!"

"Ma'am I'm sorry but rules are rules."

"Please, you don't understand!"

Jupiter leans up in the hospital bed and peeks at the door, before it flies open revealing a tall, grey haired old woman. "Miss Harlow?"

"Y-yes?"

"You are in danger. There's no hiding that."

Jupiter gives her a confused look. "How do you know my name?"

"That isn't important right now."

"What do you mean?"

She points fearful eyes on Jupiter. "You'll die if you don't get out."

Footfalls can be heard coming down the hall, the woman rushes inside and closes Jupiter's door. "Adam doesn't believe in the value of human life. And he won't stop unless we make him stop."

As if by reflex, Jupiter looks down at her cast. "He didn't hurt me on purpose." But even to her own ears, it sounds like an obvious fib.

"He's not who you think he is."

"W-what is he?"

"He's an unapologetic, nihilistic son of a bitch. And you're in danger."


	11. In a Mad World (Only the Mad are Sane)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danger? Jupiter thinks. From Adam? He can't hurt me anymore, he's in jail…

He goes outside to get some fresh air and ends up taking a walk instead. It's not long before he reaches the local park. He contemplates sitting on one of the benches and relaxing but at this moment, he doesn't really want to _think._

So he keeps walking, passing the park, passing people, until he's in front of the courthouse. Blake glances up at the steps leading to the entrance of the building, but he does not ascend them.

To his right, he sees a homeless man begging change from passersby who either give the beggar an indifferent, unimpressed frown or keep walking without giving him so much as a glance.

Blake feels sympathy tug at his heart and moves to kneel in front of the man. The homeless man stares at Blake incredulously, but the detective is used to this, it's the cop uniform that comes off as intimidating. So he tries to lighten the tension with a smile and it seems to work, the man smiles back before Blake places a hand in his pocket searching for the loose change that he keeps around for moments like this - and puts it in the guy's hand. "God bless you sir." The guy says, grateful.

Blake simply nods before rising to his feet.

He knew what it was like to have nothing, he's one of the lucky ones, he _got out_. After the death of his father, he then understood what it was like to have no one left and to feel anger, so much anger, and no place to let it out… He shudders when he remembers, but at least he was able to let go. Most people can't.

He knows what it's like, he can remember vividly trying to be content with the shitty hand that life dealt him, trying to smile when that was far from what he wanted to do. And then there was the illustrious Bruce Wayne, someone who was once in a similar position, who became successful. But Blake saw it, he saw the same anger, the same questioning hatred, of life, of fleeting hope and crushing despair in Bruce's eyes when he bumped into him a few days ago. He knew then that although it would never fully go away, the bittersweet truth was that Bruce Wayne was just as human as Blake was. It didn't matter that Bruce got out before, it didn't matter that he could fake a smile, a laugh, that he was rich and Blake was not, they were one and the same. Fate does not have biases, it doesn't discriminate or pick and choose. And that meant something to Blake, that anyone could make a difference…

The least he could do now was help out wherever he could. It's a moral obligation, especially because when life deals you an upper hand, even if it's just for a minute before you have to fold, it's not reasonable to be an asshole.

And though God might have turned his back on Gotham a long time ago, at least, for now, they had the Batman...

As he's walking away, his phone rings. The caller ID reveals that it's Simmons. "I'm on my way back," Blake says.

"Good," Simmons replies. "Because Mitchell wants to use his one phone call to call Harlow."

* * *

 

"If you think we're going to sit here and let you harass that poor woman, you're a lot crazier than I thought," Fletcher scoffs.

Adam's brow furrows in annoyance. "I can call whoever I want."

The other man doesn't look up from the paper he's reading. "Not a snowball's chance in hell."

Incredible, scorching anger rises within him, but Adam tamps it down. He would not behave like an animal. He may be in a cell, with bars like a cage, but he won't let them reduce him to his baser instincts. "Fine," he smirks. "Have it your way."

For some reason, people were always keeping him away from Jubee. Deep down, he knows why; they are ignorant. Because they can't understand the depth of his love. A love that transcends everything they were probably ever taught. It's just too much for them to comprehend.

But Jubee understands. She isn't anything like his parents or his brothers, he can actually _feel_ her affection. She doesn't get overwhelmed by him because she feels it too. They were meant for each other and they were going to be together forever…

But sometimes she needed to be reminded. She needed to _know_ that he was never ever letting her go.

* * *

 

"He's an unapologetic, nihilistic son of a bitch. And you're in danger," the old woman warns, her green eyes burning with urgency.

 _Danger_? Jupiter thinks, _from Adam? He can't hurt me anymore, he's in jail…_

The woman comes over to Jupiter's bed, stopping halfway when the footsteps outside get louder. "Please listen to me, I know that I must sound like a crazy old woman to you, but you have to believe me, I know what I'm talking about. You have to get out of this hospital!"

Jupiter raises an eyebrow. "Why should I believe you?"

"Because, dear child, I'm his grandmother."

Jupiter gasps, shaking her head disbelievingly. "His grandmother is dead. S-she died of breast cancer. He told me he had no living family members left!"

The old woman curses under her breath. "He's a damn good liar."

Suddenly the door bursts open and in walks Nurse Lowe, a doctor and a few security guards. One guard gently tries to approach the woman, saying "Ms. Mitchell we have to take you back to psychiatric."

"You're in danger," she repeats, holding Jupiter's stare while trying to shake the guard away. "And I won't go back there with that woman!" She shrieks, pointing to the doctor.

"Ms. Mitchell, no one is in danger. You are scaring her." The doctor points out. "I believe that it's time that we take you back to your room." She motions for the security guards and they take the old woman - _Ms. Mitchell?_ \- by the arms.

She's unable and possibly unwilling to fight them off any longer. Jupiter sees the defeat in her features, she lets them spin her around before she turns her head to say a final word directed at the doctor. "Adam _won't_ win. And neither will you!"

The doctor nods her blonde head disapprovingly. "Okay guys, take her back."

They leave and the doctor points her big blue eyes in Jupiter's direction. She attempts a smile, but it doesn't meet her eyes. It's almost as if she's doing it for a picture - to give a guise of control, before it falls and she's staring at Jupiter with an almost manic focus.

Nurse Lowe comes up beside Jupiter and starts pressing some buttons on her I.V. machine. "I'm going to take your vitals now, Ms. Harlow," she explains.

While Nurse Lowe busies herself, the doctor walks over to shake Jupiter's free hand (the one not currently being put in a blood pressure cuff). "My name is Dr. Harleen Quinzel and I'm a psychiatrist here." She has a slight New York accent, and her tone is light but strangely off. She shows Jupiter her I.D. badge, hanging from her neck.

"That woman," Jupiter frowns, "how did she know who I was?"

Dr. Quinzel smiles, empathetic. "She's a patient here, in the psychiatric ward. She probably saw your name on the door and thought you sounded familiar or maybe, she _wanted_ you to sound familiar. I wouldn't think too much about it," she says, a touch dismissively.

"Is she your patient?" Jupiter questions.

The psychiatrist nods. "Yes, in fact she is. I'm actually finishing my residency here."

"Her-her grandson, does he visit often?"

Dr. Quinzel shakes her head, her expression morphing into one of confusion. "No one comes to visit her unfortunately. But that could be because she has a severe distrust of others."

"I know the feeling." Jupiter mumbles under her breath.

"What?" Dr. Quinzel asks, curious.

Jupiter shakes her head, looking over at the nurse. "Nurse Lowe, when am I going to be discharged?"

The nurse hums as she reads the display of the blood pressure monitor, looking up in Jupiter's general direction. "Well Doctor Brenner will come by to see you in the morning and then he'll make that decision. But your condition seems to be stabilized. I must say you are quite fortunate, Miss Harlow."

Jupiter nods, not saying a word.

"Ugh, hospitals are my least favorite places." Dr. Quinzel says watching Nurse Lowe, who Jupiter guesses is her friend. "They are just so...depressing."

Nurse Lowe undoes the cuff, giving her friend an exasperated look, "Right and I'm sure Arkham Asylum is a less depressing, creepy place, Harleen. I honestly can't understand why someone in their right mind would want to work there." She rolls her eyes half-heartedly, then she says to Jupiter, "Alright Ms. Harlow, it will be lights out in a few minutes."

"Okay." Jupiter is actually relieved, she looks forward to sleep. It _has_ been a long day.

Nurse Lowe finishes up before she and Dr. Quinzel are preparing to leave. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call," Nurse Lowe reminds.

"It was nice meeting you," Dr. Quinzel says and then they're gone.

Outside thunder roars and the gush of rain is so loud and yet so calming that it triggers something - a memory in Jupiter. Terrified to let it dissipate, she allows the memory to dominate every other thought.

_Black umbrellas rise to block an overcast sky. Jupiter hasn't brought hers, and yet she barely feels it when the first raindrop touches her cheek, soon to be followed by many more._

_All she can think about is Michael's body lying in that coffin and the tears fall again, uncontrollable._

_The whole morning goes by in a blur and in a rush. People come to offer condolences to Michael's family as Jupiter sits quietly beside Michael's teen sister Devy, who simply looks away, not wanting to believe that any of this is happening._

_As she's comforting Devy, she turns to Michael's parents, the spark in their eyes completely gone and it is then that she knows that she has to get away, because the absence of Michael is everywhere now; it's all she feels._

_Jupiter doesn't know when or how she ends up back in her bedroom, but downstairs she can hear her mother cursing and breaking things, angry at nothing once again. Grabbing a suitcase, she starts to fill it with her things before descending the stairs and passing her mother without another word._

_She hops on the bus, and takes it to the suburban neighborhood, one like Michael's but slightly better - the houses are bigger and the people keep to themselves. She's standing in front of a house, a house that she has never seen in person up until this moment, but has heard a lot of things about. This house is to be her salvation…_

_She rings the doorbell and a petite young red-headed woman greets her. "Hello?"_

" _I'm here to see Mr. Harlow." Jupiter says blankly._

_The woman narrows her eyes at her. "And just who might you be?"_

" _I'm his daughter."_

_The woman looks at her in shock, before moving aside to let her in. "Excuse me." She says, before ascending an impressive looking staircase._

_The place is all marble and mahogany, it looks like something on t.v. in some soap opera. Still, Jupiter isn't all that impressed. All these years and he couldn't even give her a phone call…_

_She hovers there with her suitcase. Feeling awkward, but also feeling nothing at all._

_Eventually the woman returns with Jupiter's father in tow. Jupiter notices that his black hair has grown longer and his tired, knowledgeable whiskey colored eyes are a bit sadder, but other than that he looks like the same man who walked out of their house all those years ago._

" _I heard about your friend. I'm so sorry Jupiter." He consoles._

" _It's fine." Jupiter grits out, lips pursed. "And his name, it's Michael."_

" _It's a tragedy. It really is."_

_Jupiter can't help it, she doesn't know where the surge of anger is coming from but it causes her to drop her suitcase in frustration. "No, what's a tragedy is you can't pick up a damn phone to call your daughter! What is all this dad?" She doesn't consider him her father, just in name only, but she says it because she knows that it will have the right effect._

_It works, he clenches his fists and descends the last few steps to get to her. He stares her down, but Jupiter doesn't flinch. She continues her raging, "You didn't even visit."_

" _Visit your drunk of a mother?"_

" _She may be a drunk, but you weren't much better."_

_He cringes back as if she slapped him. "What do you want, Jupiter? Is it money? Or are you just here to remind me of my mistakes? You're just like your mother, unwilling to leave well enough alone."_

_Jupiter points to her suitcase. "I need a place to stay."_

" _You can't stay here." He says curtly._

_Lydia, the red-head - his wife, steps in. "Honey, she is your daughter." But she couldn't sound any more indifferent._

" _Jupiter," he sighs, "you are better off staying in a hotel. There is nothing for you here."_

_Jupiter's gaze falls to her feet. "I can't stay with mom, she isn't well. And I don't want to go to a hotel."_

" _Of course, not. She was never well. And just where are you going to go then?"_

_Jupiter raises her chin defiantly. "Somewhere where I won't a burden."_

_He simply shrugs. "Suit yourself, but do yourself a favor and don't come back here."_

" _Don't worry, I won't." She turns around to leave, before whispering Lydia's way. "You know this is all nice, but he'll discard you too the second the going gets tough. He likes shiny new things, but they all get dull eventually."_

_Lydia frowns. "You're wrong."_

_It's Jupiter's turn to shrug. "You'll see."_

_As she's walking away she remembers the acceptance letter in the pocket of her suitcase, her golden ticket to get out. She hops on the bus that will take her to Gotham, it's the farthest she will ever be from home, but then again Bishop was never really her home, at least not anymore, not without Michael. But maybe Gotham will be..._

* * *

 

_Jupiter gets discharged the next day. She leaves on the premise that she's going back to Terry and Sarah's place, but as soon as she's out of sight of the hospital she takes out her phone and she calls Detective Blake. She's going to stay in Gotham, she's tired of running away. She only hopes it's the right decision._


	12. The Tide is Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Men don't fear swords. They fear monsters."
> 
> \- Dracula Untold

The penitentiary is a vile place, even though it has the illusion of order. It is filled with criminals - people just as wretched as the bars keeping them contained - Adam isn't confused, by any means. However, even he knows that he's done some...questionable acts. He knows that many people will argue that he belongs with these buffoons. And yet, he doesn't care- he never will.

Some of the members of Rotelli's mob are here, yet Adam's not surprised. Where else would they be? They sneer at him as he is lead to his cell.

He could do a better job than Rotelli. These men - if they realized their potential - could do so much. If they let him rule, they could see Gotham brought down to its knees. It's only a matter of time before they realized that they had just been wasting their time with Rotelli.

And he would make them see that there was a major benefit to Rotelli's death - the rise of a new leader...

* * *

 

He is sitting in his cell, while his cellmate sleeps above him in their bunk and he thinks of Jubee. She's been in almost every thought he's had lately, as usual. But it is a new kind of agony, thinking of her and not being able to see her at all. He despises that more than the food they serve, or the harsh looks of the other prisoners or even these awful bars.

He wants to see her. He knows that he will, but he doesn't want to wait too long.

They had a psychologist come in to evaluate him. The doctor seemed concerned, especially when he spoke of Jubee. He probably scared the man when he lost his temper at the question of him being possibly deluded. He didn't mind them thinking he was disturbed, or evil or anything really, but when it came to Jubee, they had no right to question his feelings for her or her feelings towards him. No right at all.

At one of the hearings for the Rotelli case, for which he still refused to have a lawyer, even the shitty one they chose for him, couldn't get far because Adam was 'uncooperative'. He saw Jubee there. She was sitting with the audience in the back row, trying to be inconspicuous he guessed, what with the scarf and the hat, but he'd spot her in a crowd anywhere.

He actually paused, in the middle of answering one of the many ridiculous questions the prosecutor asked, to watch her, to memorize her. He was bored but upon recognizing her, he felt that exciting spark again.

How could she ever doubt his love for her? Even when they forced her to tell him that their relationship was over, how could she believe that even for one second, he'd be willing to let her go? Especially so easily?

He meant it when he told her that he'd rather hurt himself than hurt her, he doesn't know what got over him that fateful night, but he does know that he'd never let it happen again. Not as long as he lived.

 _Clang!_ He is dragged from his thoughts. He glances up and sees an officer opening his cell. It must be work time. He'd be sure that if more days had passed, he'd know the routine by now. But then again, he doesn't _want_ to know the routine, he doesn't plan to stay here for long anyways.

He makes it five feet in the courtyard when he is suddenly held and dragged away from the wardens' sight.

The two prisoners pull him to this circle where other prisoners are waiting. He doesn't have to think hard to know that they are Rotelli's former mobsters.

The biggest one, a skinhead with tattoos that Adam guesses are the tally of the men he's killed, as well as other things meant to be intimidating, motions for the other two to let him go. And they do, dropping Adam ungracefully onto the hard ground.

"I'm sorry gentlemen, if I had known that we'd be starting with the fun so soon, I'd have dressed for the occasion," he says, rising to his feet and dusting the dirt off his jumpsuit.

The skinhead smiles, mocking him. "Oh he's got jokes!" He turns to the others around him. "Look everyone, we have a joker with us!"

Adam shrugs. "Well, I try."

The guy gets closer to him, circling him like a shark. "You know, what you did to our boss was unspeakable. But what we're going to do to you will be much, much worse."

Feeling defiant, Adam looks him in the eye. "I'm looking forward to it."

That's when the first blow comes, straight to Adam's chest. It knocks the wind out of him, but he doesn't fall. Instead, as the pain makes it's way though his body, demanding his attention, a laugh bubbles to the surface. "Is that all you've got?"

The skinhead stares at him incredulously, before pulling out a shank, the blade glistening in the sunlight - which just makes Adam even more disgusted and shocked by the lack of decent security in the prison. Before he can even prepare to defend himself - Adam's arms are held behind him again, but he doesn't feel even an ounce of fear. With the pain comes the adrenaline and it is making him feel _invincible_.

He can't help the smile that crests his face. "Careful," he mocks, "that looks sharp. Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

"It isn't for me." The skinhead smirks. Laughter rumbles around them. A second passes and then he's aiming for Adam's throat. But when he's about to sink the blade into the flesh of Adam's neck, a gunshot is heard, it throws the thug off his concentration and he misses, avoiding Adam's throat but nicking his cheek.

The wardens rush to the scene. Tackling most of them. Adam barely registers that he's been cut or that he's narrowly escaped death, he feels the warm blood gushing down his cheek, crimson staining the gaudy tangerine of his jumpsuit and his mind is clouded.

He touches the cut gingerly with his fingers. It stings a little, but not as much as he would prefer. He presses harder and feels his skin protest, as the pain floods his senses, so do the endorphins trying to chase it away.

He makes eye contact with the skinhead as a warden moves to get Adam to a medic. They will take the other man to solitary, probably. Adam doesn't really care. But as the man stares at him with burning hatred, Adam grins - the chaos is beautiful - he _revels in it._


	13. The Lucky Ones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're a careless con and you're a crazy liar...You told me that it was good to be crazy..."
> 
> \- 'The Lucky Ones', Lana Del Rey

_A Week Later…_

"If staying is really what you prefer, then just know that we support your decision. If you ever need anything, we're always here," Jeff reassures.

Jupiter feels great relief and gratitude wash over her. She clutches the phone tighter. "Thank you so much Jeff. That means a lot. Tell Terry and Sarah that I miss them but I'll keep in contact."

"Of course, and I hope we'll still see you in support group."

"Maybe."

"Jupiter?" His voice is a mixture of shock and strong disapproval.

She sighs. "It's been a bit...hectic around here. Some things have come to my attention that I need to figure out. But I'll try to come as often as I can."

"I understand," he tells her, "but please know that you're only human Jupiter. And you've been through things that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Take it easy, okay?"

"Okay," she promises. It's probably the easiest thing anyone has ever asked her to do. "I don't know what I did to deserve such amazing friends like you guys."

"We're here for you. Always."

"I-I don't know how I will ever repay you."

Jeff chuckles. "Nonsense, Jupiter. We don't want anything, except for you to be safe."

She laughs. "Is anyone ever truly safe in Gotham?"

"You have a point there," Jeff agrees.

"Listen," She chews her bottom lip, her voice comes out shaky as she remembers that night, the night someone tried to take her life. "Please promise me _you guys_ will be safe."

"We will. And Jupiter?"

"Yes Jeff?"

"None of this, was- is your fault. Do you hear me?"

She shakes her head. "I want to believe that, for your sake, for Terry's, for Sarah's, even my own, but I can't."

"Jupiter don't-"

"I'll be staying with Emily, now that the danger has sort of died down. I just want things to be normal again."

"They will be," Jeff's hopeful voice assures her. "If not soon, then eventually."

"I really hope so."

* * *

 

The stylist stares at the frizzy, blonde mess that is Jupiter's hair dubiously. "So to be clear, you want it gone?"

It took her the guts to get this far and she knew what she wanted. She wasn't going to turn back now. Her hair had been her safety blanket, and now all she wanted was to be liberated from it. "Yes."

When the first chunk of hair falls to the floor, Jupiter internally rejoices. There's no going back now…

* * *

 

Emily is feeding Mason his lunch when Jupiter walks in. "Ju-ju!" Mason hoots when he sees her and she comes over to kiss his cheek.

Emily stares at her in shock. "You cut your hair?" she asks, examining the short pixie cut that was once Jupiter's long mane.

Jupiter nods. "It was time for a change."

"I like it!" Emily smiles, trying to feed more mashed sweet potatoes to Mason, who seems more interested in getting it all over his hands than in his mouth.

Jupiter beams. "You do?" She does a full body twirl.

Emily nods. "It suits you." Then, "Detective Blake called. He said he couldn't get you on your cell."

Jupiter suddenly feels cold. "Was- was it urgent?"

"No, not really. But he does want you to call him back in the morning."

Jupiter nods, feeling minutely better. _Get a grip!_ Her mind screams. _He may not have bad news this time..._ "Do you need any help?" She asks, pointing to Mason who now has sweet potatoes all over his face and bib.

Emily laughs and gives Jupiter an apologetic look. Jupiter finds her own face lighting up with adoration for Mason and admiration for her friend. She gets a piece of paper towel and proceeds to clean up as much of the mush off the toddler as possible, smiling the whole time.

* * *

 

"Thank you again for meeting me here," Detective Blake says, studying his hands. They're in a diner smackdab in the city. Jupiter has never been here before, but from the way Detective Blake seems to relax here, it appears to Jupiter that he frequented this place a lot.

Jupiter nods. "No problem, Detective. After all the things you and the force have done for me, it's the least I could do." She doesn't want to make it obvious that she's been studying him since she walked in, even though he's making it terrifically hard for her to simply focus on anything else. For one, he isn't wearing his uniform today, just a long sleeved grey V-neck shirt and blue jeans. And second, he's actually smiling. Jupiter finds these changes to very...noticeable, but likeable.

"You cut your hair?" he asks, taking a casual sip of his coffee.

She nods.

"It suits you." His bourbon eyes meet her steel ones and they both smile. "How is your job going? Are they still treating you strangely?"

Jupiter takes a sip of her latte. "Well, since I've come back, they've been more sympathetic. Harry, my boss, has been the most understanding, surprisingly. But yeah, I'm not complaining. It's not like I can anyways, I need the money," she admits with a genuine smile.

He nods. "I'm really," He coughs and looks away briefly. "Glad that you decided to stay."

She watches the steam rise from her cup. "I have good things in my life, Detective. Starting over seemed like a waste."

He simply nods. "Gotham isn't for the faint of heart. It never was. I've seen this city turn good people to the dark side. It's refreshing to see someone actually find virtue in all this."

"Sometimes I think that if I hadn't been such a mess of a person, that I wouldn't have fallen for Adam, if I had been stronger."

"Don't talk like that. People like Mitch - _Adam_ prey on vulnerable people. You may have been vulnerable at the time but being vulnerable doesn't mean you're weak."

"Then what was I?"

His whiskey eyes meet hers. "You were human. You had a human moment. And all the strong people you meet, no matter how invincible they seem, are strong because they too have been vulnerable, believe me," he says with great sincerity.

Jupiter nods. "Thank you Detective."

"Don't mention it. And you can call me John."

* * *

 

"She doesn't want to talk about him," Dr. Quinzel says seeing Jupiter back at the hospital, visiting Adam's grandma.

"What do you mean? She was willing to talk to me last time! Please I just need answers," Jupiter begs.

"Believe me, after all he put her through, she isn't willing to talk about him. She's _afraid_ of him."

"But why? What did he do?"

A cry coming from Ms. Mitchell's room peals through the atmosphere. Dr. Quinzel presses a button on her two-way radio and calls for backup. "I'm not sure exactly, but she claims he's the reason she has no one left. She says that he - but I am probably not supposed to tell you this, but she thinks he's responsible for the disappearance of his four brothers. Of course, they never found them and the case went cold. But she's convinced that her grandson was responsible for them going missing."

Jupiter swallows the lump in her throat. "She thinks Adam had something to do with it?"

Two security guards come around the corner and the psychiatrist moves to let them into Adam's grandma's room. Before she follows them in, Dr. Quinzel whispers to Jupiter, "I would look up the Mitchell brothers' case. They lived in Texas. You can probably Google them or look them up in the Gotham library. Make your own conclusion."

Jupiter nods and thanks Dr. Quinzel before heading home. She feels a lead weight in her stomach. She wants answers, but is she going to regret this decision? What is she going to find?


	14. Flying With Broken Wings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We delve deeper into Adam's history.

_Mitchell Brothers Aaron, 16, Dylan, 13, Richard, 13, and Peter, 10 were last seen at their ranch house at eleven P.M. when their grandfather Thomas and their grandmother Agatha left briefly to lock the ranch down for the night and dismiss the farm hands._

_The Mitchell brothers' bodies were never found._

_Many were suspected in the case of the missing children. Even the grandparents who assumed responsibility for them when their parents were deemed mentally unfit, were called in for questioning. No significant evidence was ever found against them._

_Date of disappearance: June 8, 1981._

* * *

 

_Thomas Mitchell hangs self. Possible guilt for missing grandsons suspected as reason for suicide._

* * *

 

_Agatha Mitchell admitted to psychiatric ward of Gotham General, leaves behind remaining grandson, Adam, 14._

Jupiter cringes at every article that her search pulls up. For all those years she lived with Adam, he never told her any of this. She understands why he would keep it a secret, none of this is pleasant in the slightest.

But could Adam really be responsible for his brothers' disappearance? It didn't make sense, why would he hurt them? Why would he hurt anyone?

His face flashes in her mind, that uneasy blank stare, the way he held her arm and _twisted_. But he seemed genuinely remorseful afterwards.

His grandmother, Agatha, seemed to be so convinced that Adam was incapable of guilt. That he was a _nihilistic, unapologetic son of a bitch._ But is it possible she was just projecting all that guilt and anger onto her grandson? What if she's just a crazy old woman?

She told Jupiter that she's in danger. But how? Adam couldn't be the danger. Could he?

Jupiter, confused, shuts down her laptop and crawls into bed. There's only one thing left for her to do: visit Adam in prison.

* * *

 

He's sitting there, staring at her with unshakeable focus. The smirk he usually wears is gone, replaced with genuine shock and somewhere deep but slowly rising to the surface - affection and infatuation.

Jupiter tries to keep her face neutral. She sees the fresh scar on his cheek and tries not to think too hard about it. God knows she's had a lot to think about lately, she doesn't want one more thing to distract or concern her.

"Hello Adam," she says through the phone's speaker. Her eyes meet his through the glass. It's strange how different he looks from the last time she saw him. His blonde hair is longer and a bit rumpled, he hasn't shaved in awhile - Jupiter guesses, and the orange jumpsuit is too harsh a contrast to the expensive suits he used to wear. He's definitely seen better days. Although one could argue that his boyishly handsome features remain, like some sort of durable polish, unable to be wiped off by horrors or grief, nor by pressure or pain.

"Jubee." He smiles. "You cut your hair?"

Her fingers tighten around the phone and she takes in a trembling breath. Her heartbeat spikes and to quell it, she looks down at the table at the old newspaper she dug up from the Gotham Library archives, instead of at him. "Please don't," she whispers.

"Don't what?" he inquires, concern etched across his features.

"Don't call me that. My name is Jupiter."

Adam's malachite eyes turn an icy jade. "What brings you here?" he asks, ignoring the correction.

She looks down at the newspaper again before bringing it up to Adam's view. " _This_ , explain _this_." The caption reads Mitchell Brothers Missing. "Why does your grandma think you had something to do with this?"

He raises an eyebrow. "So you've met her?"

"Yeah, it's strange what death and revival can do to a person," Jupiter says dryly.

To her surprise, he chuckles. "She is an insane old woman. You can't believe anything she says Jubee."

Jupiter tries not to let the building frustration get to her. "As opposed to you. Who lies about their relative's death, Adam? That's just sick!" Finally she sighs and tries to lower her voice. "Adam, I know what you're capable of. If you want me to-to help you, you have to start telling me the truth." If he wanted to play this game, she was going to play it too...and win.

His voice deepens as he says, "I _am_ telling you the truth. If I tell you anymore they'll lock me away, far away, and we won't be able to be together." And in that moment, it seemed to Jupiter that Adam had never been so vulnerable. Almost like a child in his desperation.

"I don't want to be with you." She isn't aware that she's said the words aloud until she sees the hurt on his face.

"You're tired Jubee. You just need some rest. You're being irrational and you're not making any sense."

"What happened to your brothers?" Her voice comes out pleading.

He doesn't answer the question. "Don't think my plans for us have changed. We are still going to visit Paris, Jubee. You've always wanted to visit Paris."

"Adam, _please_."

He suddenly glares at her. "Get some rest. We'll be together again, soon. You just need to rest." He repeats the last part to himself. "And one last thing," he pauses, "don't speak to my grandmother anymore. As far as I'm concerned she's dead."

Jupiter is left staring at his empty seat. Internally she screams.


	15. Trying to Fill the Void

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We all have nightmares and dreams...

Detective Blake eats his dinner in silence. He's alone tonight, as he has been for the past few months. He hasn't been to any bars in awhile. Hasn't flirted with any women and defaced all that his badge stands for. Hasn't thrown away all the years of respect he's worked hard to garner in one night of gallivanting... this time. There's a downside to that however, not allowing himself to have any distractions means that he has to face the crippling loneliness by himself. He isn't looking forward to it, but then again he isn't running from it either.

When people tell him that he doesn't know what pain or fear feels like, he has to suppress a heartless laugh. These people don't understand what it's like to wake up in a sweat, tears streaming down your face, having to talk yourself into facing the world, facing the _day,_ but feeling too frozen to do it. Telling yourself that it's going to be alright, but feeling lost in uncertainty. That alone scares him more than the guns, thugs or villains.

He's felt pain, _knows_ pain. Doesn't like to talk about it.

He knows that he keeps it hidden well - always has. That's why Alicia left, he pushed her away. Who could love a heartless bastard?

He thinks of her sometimes, not because he misses her, but idly. She isn't his happy place, she isn't even stability, but he remembers she made him feel human, however briefly.

He despised that feeling once; now he just craves it.

He puts the game on, zoning out. Outside the rain pours, its angry lashing against the window creating a rhythm on the glass, a pounding that washes away his thoughts...

Gotham isn't going to be on anyone's lists of best places to live, Blake knows that - but it's home to him. You don't just dedicate your whole life to protecting a city, if you don't find that city worth protecting…

He dozes off, the dreams come of cold, hard walls, scared children, having to play the part of a desirable child to prospective foster parents. They make him cringe, but then there's another face, a woman with strawberry blonde hair and frosty grey eyes. He sees something in her, _strength_ , she reminds him of himself. It's encouraging…

Blake sleeps peacefully that night.

* * *

 

Catherine smiles at Jupiter perfunctorily. "How are you doing today?"

She can feel the eyes of everyone in the group on her. Taking an absent-minded bite of one of the cookies that Serenity, a member of support group who lost her brother in a traffic collision, brought in, Jupiter smiles back. "I'm fine, thank you Mrs. Avery." The older woman always insists they call her by her first name, but it makes Jupiter uncomfortable - it feels too informal.

"We're glad to hear that." The other woman nods. Jupiter must admit that it feels good to be back. She came in with Emily and upon seeing Jeff and Terry, she felt even better. "But are you still having nightmares?"

It suddenly feels weird to swallow the bite she took now. She gulps. She can't even pretend as if she doesn't know what Mrs. Avery's talking about. And she knows how ridiculous it would be to even try.

She looks everywhere but at the other woman. "They-they're few and far between, thankfully."

"Are they still graphic?"

Jupiter nods, shuddering. She doesn't owe Mrs. Avery anything, but she _wants_ to talk about the dreams. She has this need to release, because she knows that at least talking about them would let some of the tension go.

"You don't have to talk about them, if you don't want to." Mrs. Avery says sympathetically.

Jupiter sees him, the man with the knife, aiming for her heart. She feels the slash of the blade across her stomach deep enough to hurt but not deep enough to hit anything major.

Even now, she thinks of the angry scar she has and how it mars the smooth skin of her stomach. She feels tainted because of it. The scar remains like an ugly reminder of someone else's anger and hatred.

She wishes she could stop reacting so strongly to the dreams, wishes she could just stop having them altogether.

"Sometimes, I see him coming back for me. To finish the job. Those nights are the worst." Everyone nods. Jupiter glances at Jeff, who is sitting beside her. He pats her on the back while Emily pats her hand.

"I mean I know, logically that the odds of him coming back are slim to none. I just can't convince my brain of that."

"It's normal, for fear to linger after a traumatic experience. It's smart that you have the self-insight to talk about it. I commend you, we commend you." She starts clapping and the rest of the room follow suit. "You underestimate yourself, Jupiter."

Jupiter doesn't say anything. At the end of the session, when Mrs. Avery is telling everyone goodbye, Jupiter comes up and hugs her.

* * *

 

_Aaron, Dylan and Richard try to fight him but he's too strong for them. He manages to knock out Aaron, but Dylan, damn him, somehow gets Adam down._

_Peter has run away. But Adam doesn't worry, he knows the child can't have gone far._

_...He drowns them each one by one in the bathtub. Peter squirms the most but Adam can't stop himself. They never loved him right. Their lives weren't worth much anyways. They never understood him. And to make matters worse, they drove their parents to insanity. They had to pay for what they did._

_...He drains the water in the bathtub and starts to shove the bodies in the trash bags._

_It's all a blur after that. He doesn't remember how he disposed of them, but he knows that he did. Somehow._

Damn Jubee, how dare she make him remember them? He hates these dreams. He wishes he could make them go away. He doesn't like remembering. For one, they aren't worth his time. And second they're a part of his past that has nothing to do with him anymore. He prefers to repress them - it's just easier.

Great, now he's going to have to act as if everything's normal, just so they don't send him back to that quack of a psychologist.

He didn't necessarily hate the title of murderer, he just didn't think it suited him. It's unflattering.

After all, there are so many other _better_ titles he could inherit, like mob boss. That had a nice ring to it...


	16. The Free and the Captive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I think that we're all in our private traps, clamped in them, and none of us can ever get out.
> 
> \- Psycho (1960)

Benedetti Wants Blood

Adam's sure the headline is probably painted all over Gotham's streets right now. When Adam sees it thanks to his cellmate, Johnson, he curses under his breath.

It isn't shocking that someone wants to kill him, especially a former goon of Rotelli's, the shocking part is that they actually think that Adam's scared. The world really doesn't understand him much.

The whole day the inmates treat him as if he's tainted meat, avoiding him because they know that he's a dead man. Adam just stares, scans their faces because he knows that one of them is just lurking in the shadows waiting to catch him off-guard. He's not scared, he's just unwilling to let them win.

But after a week and nothing happening, Adam grows bored and soon forgets completely about the threat to his life.

Until the rumors change.

And of all the people in this world they could be about, of all the wasted life forms that these wretched people could set their sights on, they chose his love, Jubee.

Apparently Benedetti isn't after him anymore, apparently there's no _fun_ in that. To him, the best way to really _hurt_ Adam is to go through the one that Adam loves the most. Yeah, it's a low blow but Adam knows that he should have figured it out. It's the logic of a simpleton, not rocket science. People like Benedetti are savages and they need to be taken down several notches.

* * *

Adam finds the lowlife who casually said Jupiter's name as he was talking about Benedetti's kill list. He doesn't exactly remember much, just that he heard the bastard talking about her, saw red and the next thing he knows he's in solitary, blood on his knuckles, awaiting his fate.

It scares him how easily he can lose control. He knows that if he doesn't control himself or the situation, with every lapse he feels his mind slipping away.

It's not a nice feeling, it really isn't. Especially since he always finds himself back in his childhood home, remembering being around his grandparents, his brothers and feeling so, so lost. Why didn't his grandfather fully explain to him why he couldn't see his parents anymore? Didn't his grandfather care? Didn't _anyone_ care?

Someone bangs against his cell door. Adam plans to ignore it, although he's glad for the distraction. When the person continues to bang, angrily Adam calls out for them to go away but instead, the person opens the eye slot of his cell door.

"You want to take care of Benedetti?" Adam can't see much but the visitor's voice sounds familiar.

"That's a silly question," he says through gritted teeth.

The person chuckles. "Then let me help you."

"That depends. Who are you?"

"The guy who is going to bust you out of here."

Adam suppresses the urge to scoff. He doesn't know what kind of drugs this guy's on, but he'll humor him. "And just how are you going to-"

The door opens to reveal a cop that Adam's seen many times guarding the facility. Adam knew this was possibly a joke, he wants to laugh - it just doesn't make sense. No one can help him. He's just on his own and will have to figure out another way...

The cop places a finger to his own lips. "I'm here to help," he whispers.

"And who are you and why would you help me?" Adam asks, folding his arms. He really isn't in the mood for games.

"Call me your guardian angel, okay?" The cop winks and before Adam knows it, he's being led out of the confinement area.

"Don't you think the jumpsuit is going to give me away?" He points to his orange suit. "And you still didn't answer my question. Why are you helping me, what's in it for you?"

The cop smiles and hands him a standard police uniform. "I got you covered, get changed."

Adam inspects the suit but doesn't ask any more questions. When he's fully dressed in the uniform, he follows the other man further down the hall, after discarding his jumpsuit in the bin of a nearby supply closet.

It's fairly easy; they only pass two wardens and one security guard and neither of them give them any trouble. Adam makes sure to keep his head high, in order to look less suspicious, and lets the cop do all the talking. Though, no one really questions them. It's just small talk.

To Adam, the guards at this prison all seem overworked and tired. Adam scoffs, all this taxpayers' money and they were still horribly understaffed…

By the time the first guard finds out that Adam has escaped, Adam and this mystery cop are halfway out the front door, free and out of sight.

"You know, with a lot better resources, I could have done that myself." Adam huffs, trying to keep up with the guy as they sneak through several back alleys and wait for the cop cruisers to disappear out of sight.

"Yeah? You had a plan? Because it was going to be a hell of a time sneaking out of solitary, you would probably find your ass on punishment by the time you made it one foot out of there. Believe me, I've tried."

"Wait." It's like a lightbulb goes off in his head. "You used to be a prisoner? Why'd you help me? You obviously got out, what, do you just hang around hauling people out of jail because you're a twisted samaritan? Are you even really a cop?" Adam inquires. This day is just not making any sense.

The cop - former prisoner, stranger - meets Adam's questioning gaze with one of nonchalance. "I got you out of there because I want to help, don't make me regret it."

"Help me how?"

"I heard your girl's in danger and that there's a price on your head. Seems like you're in real hot water."

Adam sighs, tired and frustrated. If this is all just a game, he's eagerly awaiting the big reveal so he can figure out his next move. "Yeah, so what do you want? Money?"

The man doesn't say much. But Adam sees something twinkle in his eyes and he doesn't have much time to react before he's suddenly pressed against the grimy wall of the alley, a sharp knife shoved against his throat. "No hard feelings, but Rotelli was like family to me. You mess with my family and I come after you."

Adam can't breathe. So this is what it is? This guy wants revenge. "So you're working with Benedetti?" It's hard to talk with the blade pressing against his throat, but Adam manages.

"I work alone, but Benedetti's like a brother to me. He wants someone gone, all he has to do is ask."

Adam nods. "Well, here I was thinking you were just deranged. I must say that I have way less respect for you now that I know that you're just another mindless Rotelli puppet."

The blade presses deeper, and Adam senses the metallic smell of blood filling his nostrils as well as the sudden sting of the blade slightly piercing into his throat, but Adam's gaze never leaves the other man's.

"You know you have a lot of nerve talking like that considering the position you're in."

Adam smirks. "Force of habit, I guess."

The man sneers and Adam can hear the slowing of the other's breathing, he feels the pressure of the man's body as it is holding Adam in place relax in the slightest. Adam takes it as an opportunity to lunge forward, kicking him solidly in the groin.

The man stumbles and drops the knife, doubling over in pain. Adam grabs it before the other man can get to it. It gleams in the light from the street lamps but its pretty blade is marred by the taint of Adam's blood. He points it at the now angry man trying to get up to grab at Adam. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Adam warns.

The man rolls his eyes, his breathing comes out in plumes of mist in the cold night air. "You won't kill me, pretty boy! That would be nuts! I'm the only thing keeping you out of prison."

Adam can't help it; he laughs almost hysterically. "You really don't know me, do you?" And then like a knife sinking into a watermelon, there's a _crunch_ sound as he rams the blade through the man's chest. He does it a second time for good measure. The crimson blood showers Adam and while he watches as the man sinks to the ground; every numbered breath the guy has left, coming out slower and slower until his breathing is barely audible. Adam greedily takes in the sight.

Sirens blare in the distance as red and blue lights color the atmosphere. Adam drags the body behind a dumpster and pockets the knife. He knows that he needs to get rid of his blood covered cop uniform and disappear. He's a wanted man now. Nowhere is safe, and he can't trust anyone, not that he did that in the first place, but now it's not even an option anymore.

But just like his name is tainted, so is Jubee's. She needs to be protected and he's going to do anything he can to save her, anything…

* * *

 

Jupiter is out with Emily and Mason, celebrating Mason's third birthday when she gets a call from Detective Blake. "Yes John?" She smiles and obliges the little girl who's begging to be lifted up.

"Are you watching the news right now?" A cold, shuddering fear grips her and she shakily replies. "No, why?"

"Jupiter, Adam's escaped. And he's killed someone again."

"Oh my god." Jupiter hands the little girl, Annie, to her mother, with a smile belying her nerves before walking away towards the women's bathroom.

"What are we going to do? What do I need to do?" Her heart is racing a mile a minute. This wasn't supposed to happen. It wasn't supposed to be possible at all. And now, her worst fears were coming to life.

"We'll sort this out, in the meantime, I don't want you leaving the house without someone being with you. Adam's not _sane,_ it isn't clear what his motives are at this point, but you need to be safe."

"John, I went to visit him a week ago, do you think this had anything to do with that? I talked to him about his missing brothers. I wanted answers, but I think I set him off." She's rambling, she knows that. But if there's even a slight possibility that this could all be her fault, she knows she's screwed.

Through the phone, she can hear some of the chaos happening around the precinct. "I doubt it. He was probably always heading down this road, Jupiter. Listen, where are you?"

"I'm at Mason's birthday party with Emily."

"I'll take you guys home, promise me you'll stay close to Emily and won't wander off?"

She feels a lump in her throat. "I-I promise."

* * *

 

John arrives at the time he said he would. They don't speak much in the cruiser, especially not about Adam's prison break, at Jupiter's request for him to not tell Emily yet. Today's supposed to be special, Emily doesn't need the day she's celebrating her son's existence to be marred by the escape of a madman. Jupiter would not let that happen.

Emily takes Mason in the house when they arrive and Jupiter hangs back to talk to John. "This is all so strange. Do you know how he got out?"

"It seems that he had help."

"Shit."

"My sentiments exactly."

She stares down at the ground. "Do you think that he wants to hurt me?"

"I don't know, but I'm learning that Mitchell's one unpredictable guy."

Jupiter rakes a hand through her hair. "I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't scared." She feels his warm hand on her shoulder and her eyes meet his burning ones.

"You don't have to be. I won't let anything bad happen to you. Trust me," he promises.

She can't help it; she smiles.

A couple of seconds pass where no one speaks, but neither of them mind the silence. Feeling emboldened, she moves in most of the way and wraps her arms around him in a wholehearted embrace. She isn't too surprised when she feels him hugging her back, pulling her closer.

Little do either of them know that they are being watched, or that the person watching is filled with rage and confusion, unable to let Jupiter go and definitely not willing to see her in the arms of another man.

 


	17. Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Right from the start
> 
> You were a thief
> 
> You stole my heart
> 
> And I your willing victim"
> 
> 'Just Give Me A Reason' - Pink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I know you, that gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam
> 
> And I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem
> 
> But if I know you, I know what you'll do
> 
> You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream"
> 
> 'Once Upon A Dream' - Lana Del Rey

_Three nights later…_

The bottle of amber liquid stares across at her. _I'll make it all go away,_ it promises. At the same time, it mocks her. Five years of sobriety gone down the drain if she does this. But it just seems so easy. _Just take me and put me to your lips, Jupiter,_ it whispers softly.

Jupiter tries holding off a little longer. She only wants to sleep. With Adam's escape comes unease and the fear. Her thoughts are racing and she just wants it all to stop, just for a night. Only that.

It's not as if she's going to drink the whole bottle. She just needs a couple of sips...

" _Venus, I swear, you're such a spiteful, thoughtless bitch!" she hears her father yell from downstairs._

" _Well, Grant, I wouldn't have to be if you weren't always chasing after those young bimbos!" her mother shouts viciously._

_Glass shatters and Jupiter cringes, covering her mouth to keep her breathing from being audible. She really doesn't want to give away her position from under her bed._

" _That's it! I'm leaving!" Her father yells. Heavy footsteps echo through the halls outside her door. They carry into her parents' bedroom where they pause. More hurried footfalls follow immediately after and soon she hears her mother's voice. "So you're just going to leave like that? What about Jupiter? What about me? Do you not care about us?"_

_Her father says nothing._

" _Fine, go back to your whore! You're no good for us here anyways." Slam!_

Jupiter takes the bottle and puts it to her lips. _Bottoms up_ , she thinks. The first sip doesn't go down smoothly, her body unaccustomed to the foreign flavor after all these years. Her lungs violently retaliate against the searing liquid invader and she coughs.

Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she feels the sudden wetness of the tears she can't stop, pooling at the corners of her lids. They keep coming. Just like raindrops, they fall and fall.

She thanks the heavens that Emily and Mason are still asleep, that they're not awake to witness her humiliation. Still, she wishes that someone would stop her. But then again when was she going to stop relying on people? It's getting sickening.

She takes another sip. And then another, bigger, gulp. And another. It's an acquired taste, that's for sure, but with each sip it gets easier to swallow the whiskey without coughing.

Halfway through the bottle she starts to feel a little tipsy. Maybe this whiskey was defective? Or maybe her mother was wrong, maybe there were problems that were too big for Jack Daniels to solve.

She sits there on her bed, waiting for the alcohol to kick in, unaware of the time slipping by. After an hour her mind starts to swim and she welcomes the feeling with open arms.

The ceiling, if she tilts her head just right, doesn't seem so close. It actually seems a little farther away. So do the walls. The room suddenly doesn't seem so confining but a lot more spacious.

And why hadn't she noticed before that the paint and wallpaper were so pretty? She laughs at herself, she's just being silly of course, it has to be the same room. But her bed, it's so much comfier. When did that happen? There was so much she hadn't noticed.

Another swig of the warm, bitter liquid and it gets hard for her to keep her head up. Her vision is starting to shift and warp too. Images are a little blurry and objects that are supposed to be still are moving about the room in circles. And yet, Jupiter feels like singing, she's so happy. It probably wasn't the best idea to drink on an empty stomach, and to drink so _much_. She's going to pay for this in the morning. But it's worth it…

Jupiter is watching the ceiling as it spins around and around, amusing herself, when a sudden cold gust of wind brushes against her skin, causing goosebumps to rise. Thinking that maybe she left the window open, she moves to close it, frustrated. In the dark room, she stumbles and hits something solid.

Warm arms come to wrap themselves around her waist, preventing her from falling completely. Soft cotton brushes against her cheek as she is encircled in a firm embrace where the rich scent of pine-cones is inescapable. She freezes, allowing fear to take her for a second before it goes away and she's melting into his touch. Michael is here, it's going to be alright.

His breath grazes through her hair. "I've missed you, my love."

She swallows. _Wait, Michael wouldn't say that._ The voice is familiar, but it isn't his. "A-Adam?"

She feels the motion against her hair as he nods. "Yes, Jubee."

"What are you doing here?"

"You aren't safe here. Dangerous people are coming."

 _Mitchell's an unpredictable guy... He's an unapologetic, nihilistic son of a bitch…_ "No, you're wrong," she says. "Y-you're the bad guy. You're the one who's dangerous!"

His voice drips with acid as he asks, "Your boyfriend the Detective tell you that?"

"What?"

"Nothing." Then, "Listen, I know that I've done _things_. But we all have. No one is perfect. But I'm here now, Jubee. We can be together again." His voice is soft, comforting almost.

She folds her arms and looks away. "Go away, Adam or I'm calling the police."

She expects him to cease and desist, but to her surprise, he chuckles darkly before gently taking her arm, the healed one, and wraps his long fingers around her wrist. "Listen, darlin'," he seethes, accent getting thicker as he speaks. "Who do you think is going to protect you? It was me and you against the world, Jupiter! We looked out for one another. Or did you forget?" His jade green eyes frost over into an angry, icy spearmint and his grip on her wrist tightens little by little with every word. "You _need_ me remember?!"

"Adam, stop!" she cries.

"Everyone you love is in danger because of you. Your very existence puts people in peril. And for someone who owes me so much already, do you think it's really a good idea to act out right now?"

The tears rise to the surface again, her newly healed bones protesting under the pressure of his strength. The pain is just too much. In an act of self-preservation, she punches him, right in the face.

He lets go abruptly. Staring at her in shock while holding his bleeding nose, he looks highly impressed.

"Alright, I'll go with you," she declares, holding her head high, trying not to wince at her slightly aching wrist. "But you have to promise me that everyone will be safe and I mean that. I'm not playing games with you, Adam."

A beat passes before he says anything. "You have a deal, Jubee. No games." He extends a hand to her and she takes it, hesitantly. His palm is warm beneath hers; her pulse flutters and an unexpected, dizzying wave of nausea passes over her. She sways on her feet, he holds her before she can fall. "Don't worry, I have you." He comforts.

In her drunken, unsteady state she manages to croak, "That's why I'm worried."


	18. I'll Keep You Safe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If I'm not back again this time tomorrow  
> Carry on, carry on, as if nothing really matters"
> 
> \- 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Queen

" _She-she's gone!" The woman, Emily, had sounded extremely overwhelmed and scared over the phone. Detective Blake didn't need any more details; he immediately knew what this meant. But he had hoped they would have had more time._

_He had managed to calm her down, told her he'd be on the way with his crew to investigate the scene of the crime. He asked her if she and her son were okay and, glad to be assured that they were, hopped into the cruiser with Duncan._

_Emily had been beside herself when they arrived. Blake stopped to talk to her, but sent Duncan and the crew of investigators to Jupiter's room. Emily had seemed confused, but sure in her claim that Adam had been involved in Jupiter's sudden disappearance. "I don't know how, but I know he took her."_

" _Did you hear anything, a man's voice? Jupiter yelling or screaming?"_

_She had shaken her head. "Not exactly, the walls are pretty thick here. Still, I'm a light sleeper, and I heard something. Something like two people arguing."_

_He had nodded, writing it all down. "We're going to investigate further. We'll find her. Don't worry. If it is Mitchell, we'll make him regret ever stepping into this house, ever touching her."_

_Her lips had crested into a small, hopeful smile. "Thank you, Detective. I want you to find that piece of shit and give him hell."_

" _Oh, I'll give him worse than that," he had muttered._

_Duncan had walked in then, her face grave and...puzzled. "We found Ms. Harlow's phone, her keys, and a purse with money, her I.D and an empty bottle of whiskey. There was some blood on the floor as well as a man's footprint."_

_Blake couldn't help it. His eyes had gone wide. Blood? "Did he hurt her?"_

_Duncan had shaken her head and motioned for him to follow her. When they were out of earshot, she had said: "That's the strange thing; aside from the blood on the floor - that may not even be hers - there isn't any sign of a struggle or even forced entry. Nothing turned over, no mess, no broken glass, not one thing. We suspected that maybe he knocked her out, but judging by the whiskey bottle, she was possibly inebriated. It was probably a hell of a lot easier for him to get her to go with him because she was intoxicated."_

" _How do we know that he wasn't the one drinking?"_

" _We don't know yet. But we're going to find out. At least this doesn't have Benedetti written all over it," she had attempted to comfort him._

_Blake had frowned. "Benedetti may have copied some of Rotelli's methods, but he's far from a maniacal genius. If he or one of his hitmen had come after Jupiter, they'd have done a lot sloppier of a job. This is Mitchell's work, through and through. I'm just surprised he didn't leave a note this time, mocking us."_

" _Uhh, Detective, I wouldn't be so sure of that." Jiminez seemed to have had materialized from thin air. In his gloved hand, he held a plastic bag...with a note inside._

_Duncan had cursed. "You spoke too soon."_

" _Do you not think that there are things which you cannot understand, and yet which are; that some people see things that others cannot?" I love her and she has chosen to be with me. I can protect her and as long as she's with me no harm will come to her. I cannot say the same for you, Detective._

* * *

_Total hours missing: 12 hours_

Blake feels like tearing his hair out; four more hours have passed since Jupiter was reported missing and they aren't any closer to finding her. There are no clues, no witnesses, it just seems as if she and Mitchell vanished into thin air.

Many of the best officers Gotham has are scouring every part of the city hoping to find them. From the crime-infested underbelly to the cleanest, poshest areas, they're searching and searching and yet nothing is turning up. Blake is at his wit's end.

It doesn't help that the whole city is gripped with fear over Mitchell's jailbreak. Nor does it help that Benedetti is painting the city red hoping to find them before the cops do.

All of this is one total shitstorm.

It definitely doesn't help that almost everyone in the precinct thinks Blake has lost his mind. Fletcher had even told him to go home and get some rest because Blake hasn't slept since he got the news of Jupiter's disappearance. But Blake had refused - sleep's the last thing he's worried about.

He's been drinking so much caffeine and following every lead, no matter how small, and yet all his efforts are failing.

He knows that they have to hurry - Mitchell's a ticking time bomb, a dangerous man, who knows what he'll do now that he has her alone? But why Jupiter would go with him willingly in the first place was something he just couldn't figure out. Maybe Duncan was right; the alcohol she consumed might have altered her ability to make smart decisions. Or maybe Mitchell had a weapon and threatened to use it against her if she didn't come with him. Either way, they were going to find her. If Mitchell was planning to have Jupiter be his next victim, if he even touched a hair on her head, he was going to be breathing through a tube for the rest of his miserable life…

* * *

There's an obnoxious, awful pounding. It rouses her from her sleep to a world of even more darkness. It's not until her senses refocus themselves that she realizes that the pounding is coming from her own head.

Groaning, she touches her forehead gingerly, and immediately a wave of nausea hits her. She takes in a huge gulp of the clean, dry air, hoping that the queasiness will pass but it doesn't. Soon she finds herself rising off of the warm, soft bed and stumbling her way into a bathroom.

After puking out the contents of her stomach, she goes to rinse out her mouth. Casually studying her reflection, she frowns; her hair is sticking up in a million different directions and her eyes are bloodshot and tired. She hasn't looked or felt this bad in years.

She's staring at the mirror, willing her head to stop aching, when she spots a bottle of aspirin and a glass of water on the bathroom counter. Attached to the aspirin is a note. All time seems to stop when she sees his handwriting. _Dearest Jubee, I know you've been feeling a little unwell, so I've left you some medication. I hope you take it. You've had a rough night. I'm nearby and I'll be back soon, my darling. Hopefully, you'll feel better by then._

_Love, A._

Suddenly she can't breathe. _What happened last night?_ Did he drug her? A million questions clutter her head. She can't think straight and the last thing she's going to do is take anything he's offering her.

To curb the temptation of taking the aspirin, she hides the bottle.

She hurries out of the huge, extravagant bathroom and turns on the light in the room. _Maybe there will be answers in here_ , she thinks. The light is a little blinding, but that's not what takes her breath away; the bedroom is enormous and even more intricate than the bathroom.

Wherever she was, it must have cost Adam a pretty penny...speaking of Adam, he _knows_ something. There's a reason why she's here in this unfamiliar place, why she's still fully dressed and why she can't remember a thing.

Before she can contemplate her next move, the notes of an orchestra resound through the walls. They softly float along, as if carried by the wind and caress her ears with their symphony. Despite her better judgment, she follows the music. Bare feet padding across the cold, hardwood floor, she moves hesitantly, her mission to get answers temporarily forgotten as the notes of the piano fill her ears.

She finds the music, coming from a radio by the fireplace of a victorian looking living room. She stops to listen to it more, enjoying as the piano concerto builds to a crescendo.

With the music surrounding her and seeming to fill her with life, Jupiter closes her eyes and basks in the moment.

" _He's so talented!" Jupiter exclaimed, watching their friend Tobias master the keys of the piano. She closed her eyes and listened, trying to match her fingers to the keys of an imaginary piano._

_Beside her, Michael nodded his head, agreeing. "You know, you should learn to play, too. I'm sure with practice, you'd be great at it."_

" _Believe me, it's going to take a lot more than practice for me to get to his level."_

_Michael smirked. "I bet you can do it."_

" _You're better off betting against me," she remarked dryly._

_He frowned. "I don't know, aren't you the same girl who thought she wouldn't ever apply to vet school? And now she's applying to veterinary schools out of state? Following her dreams and whatnot?"_

_Jupiter couldn't help it, she smiled. "Yeah, but animals are my passion."_

" _So is classical music. Jupiter, all I want is for you to thrive, to live. And just think, I'm going to be the first person to congratulate you when you get accepted." His face lit up as his eyes filled with hope for the future._

" _And I'll be there when you get accepted into art school, Michael."_

" _You better be. Whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me for life."_

She doesn't realize that she's been staring at the same spot above the fireplace until his voice interrupts her. "Chopin, Piano Concerto number one...beautiful piece...did you sleep well?"

Jupiter doesn't look at him. "I've never told anyone that I liked classical music. It's been awhile since I've listened to any, I actually forgot how enjoyable it was."

She feels the warmth of his body as he comes closer. "Well, you're free to listen to it as much as you want here. I won't complain."

Her steel eyes meet his jade ones. She raises an eyebrow. "And where exactly is _here_ , Adam?"

"My private lodge in the country. We're a ways away from Gotham, but it's what I prefer."

She nods, remembering a few details. "I was drunk -"

"You were intoxicated."

"I was drunk and I agreed to come with you."

"Yes...now, you didn't answer my question. Did you sleep well?"

She doesn't see how it matters when they have way more pressing matters to concern themselves with, but she answers anyways. "All things considered, yes, I did."

His lips crest into a soft smile. "Good. I'm glad to hear that... I figured you wouldn't be feeling your best, so I made you some tea." He moves to leave and she tries to stop him.

"Adam, wait."

"Come this way. The kitchen is right over here." He keeps walking, ignoring her, but she begrudgingly follows.

The smell of jasmine and vanilla fill her senses and she feels herself perking up. He pulls a chair out for her and she sits down, watching while he goes to busy himself at the stove.

Once she has a mug of steaming tea in front of her, she forgets about her rule of not taking things from him and takes a sip, hoping to calm her throbbing head. The sweet, warm liquid is heaven in her mouth. "It's delicious," she remarks.

He sits down across from her with his own mug, taking a sip from it, watching her. She notices that he's clean shaven and his hair is a bit shorter. He's back to looking like his old self again, minus the nick on his cheek and the fading scar across his neck. "I remembered that it was your favorite."

She simply nods, not wanting to ponder on the way his eyes shine brightly with hope. "Adam, why are we here?"

He puts his mug down, tracing the handle with his thumb, absentmindedly. "No one knows about this place. It's where I go when I want to get away from it all. It's my safe haven."

"And you brought me here because?"

"Because it's easier to protect you this way."

"Adam," she sighs. "You can't be a hero. I don't think this will play out that way."

"Jubee, I don't _want_ to _be_ a hero. I'm just protecting my own."

She frowns at that. She isn't _his_ anymore. He should know that by now. Suddenly, she gets a very scary thought. "How are you going to keep Emily and Mason safe, or Jeff, Terry, or Sarah?"

He leans back in his chair, casually. "You're going to have to trust me. As long as you're here, Benedetti can't harm you. As for your friends, they'll be much better off with you gone."

"That's not entirely true. What if he goes through them to get to me? Adam, we have to go back!" She stands up, her tea forgotten.

"We're not going anywhere, Jupiter," he says quietly, resolutely not looking at her.

"What, so you're keeping me hostage now?" She feels the anger rise within her.

He smirks. "You can't call yourself a hostage if you came willingly."

It hits her; he's right. Slowly, she sinks back into her seat.

"Jubee, don't you see? I love you. This is a chance for us to start over. For us to be together again. Every day I am haunted by my regret..." His hands move away from the tea and fall into his lap. "... about losing you. I refuse to let it happen again."

"Adam," she says shakily. "You can't keep me here forever. Right now, the police are probably searching all of Gotham for me, and if they find out you've taken me, this won't end well."

He leans over and brushes a strand of her short hair from her face. "Oh Jubee, it will end the way it began, with you and me..." His hand traces the soft outline of her cheek before it settles there, pulling her closer while he leans in. His voice drops to a whisper. "I'm willing to do everything in my power to ensure that you never leave again."

Her eyes fall closed as his breath ghosts across her lips. The pull returns, stronger than ever, except it's different now. Instead of out in space she feels as though she's back on earth, caught in a violent rainstorm, waiting for either her demise or her deliverance. Jupiter has no idea if she should surrender or fight. She's trapped and Adam has her right where he wants her.


	19. Spellbound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're so close to me that you nearly died...I love you, please see and believe again."
> 
> -'Again' Flyleaf

He whispers her name and her eyes fall closed. He's warm, comfortably so, and as if her body has a mind of its own, it leans in closer to bask in his furnace-like heat.

At any moment she knows he's going to close the distance between them. She feels as if she's been waiting for a long time, so long that the small indents that her fingernails are making into her palm don't hurt as much as they should.

For some reason, it's as if it's final. She knows that if she lets him close this space between them then there is no going back. She's not sure if she's ready for that…

The sound of the doorbell breaks the spell. She hears Adam curse and walk away, but she's too afraid to open her eyes. With this new distance between them, like the eye of the storm, she can breathe and _think_ , but her thoughts aren't kind.

"I thought no one knew about this place," she says, once he returns, determined not to look at him.

His voice is a tad annoyed, but still as controlled as usual. "They don't, but I can't stop the occasional girl scout from knocking."

She shrugs, finally opening her eyes, and remembering, stares him down. "Adam, in my room, you called the Detective my boyfriend. Why would you call him that?"

He gives her that telltale look, the look she knows all too well now, the look that should warn her to stop, but she ignores it. "I saw you with him," Adam accuses venomously.

She blinks, taken aback. "H-how?"

"You don't need to know that."

"You were stalking me!" Her heartbeat quickens, pounding through her ears, and she takes a step back.

He shakes his head, letting out an unsteady breath and holds his hands out in pacification. "Jubee, it isn't like that. I wanted to make sure you were safe."

The words don't seem to want to come out of her mouth. They are stuck in her throat like those dreams she gets sometimes, where she can't scream and is just a silent observer of a story she's forced to watch unfold. No matter how frightening it gets.

"Jubee, it terrifies me what I would do for you." His eyes glitter with something foreign that she can't place. "I just don't understand, why _him_? Why pick _him_?"

"Adam," she warns, "stay away from me." She doesn't wait for him to speak, she just walks away.

She finds herself on a balcony overlooking fields and fields of green grass. It's absolutely breathtaking, but she doesn't really care about that. Her mind is racing. How could she let him get so close to her when her friends are in danger? He didn't care about them. And he had stalked her, how could he? And now she's stuck with him because she was too stupid, too foolish to know better than to go with him.

She needs to get back to Gotham and yet, what if he's right? What if Benedetti is waiting for her? She told Adam that he couldn't be the hero, but then again, she isn't much of one either.

What was wrong with her? How could she screw up this much?

Someone joins her on the balcony. She doesn't look at him, but she feels when he kisses her hair. "Look, I'm sorry that this is all one big mess right now. I'll find a way to fix it, I promise. But I want you to know that our love, Jubee, is too precious to be tainted by people like John Blake. People who ruin things, who lack the understanding of love like ours."

She points tearful eyes at him. "Adam," she pleads.

"Shh, don't cry. I'm right here, Jubee. To tell you the truth, though, I feel this love driving me further and further over the edge of no return, I look at you and you're worth it. You'll always be worth it to me." His voice is calm, soothing and he leans in to kiss her temple.

The tears spill over, there are too many to wipe away. Silently, she weeps beside him. "Why me?" She chokes.

"Because your name is the one I see written in the stars every night," he answers, holding her tightly. Foolishly, she allows herself to fall apart in his arms.


	20. Broken Parts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Nothing left  
> He's a wreck  
> Buried deep in the sand  
> Now I don't feel a thing  
> When I'm holding his hand"
> 
> 'Atlantis' Bridgit Mendler

She begins to think that she's getting the hang of being around him again, of course, the knowledge that he's highly volatile remains in the back of her mind constantly, but she's getting used to ignoring it. It may not be the best decision she's ever made - shutting off her self-preservation instincts especially when they're screaming at her to get the hell out, but staying isn't the worst thing she could do.

Lately, she's been feeling everything and with such an intensity that it's dizzying. So many emotions swirl around and around in her head and since she isn't willing to acknowledge them or even sort them out, it's been harder than ever to just relax.

So she's been drinking again. She can't seem to stop herself, she _knows_ she must get it together for her own sake but it's just so _hard_. She suspects Adam gets a sick thrill from seeing her so drunk that she's physically ill. He likes that she's needy and dependent in that state. That she's helpless and desperate for someone to aid her.

It's like being in another world, being here with him. And it isn't entirely an unpleasant world either, just different. The only time that they don't spend time together is when he leaves to get groceries or do _business_. She doesn't ask questions, but she wonders how no one recognizes him when he goes out in public.

When he's home, neither of them talk about her drinking. It's for the best - she despises this side of herself enough, and she knows that she's pathetic, she doesn't need him to point it out to her.

She thinks that this must be what rock bottom is...just a dark abyss of pain and yet, the scariest thing about it is that it feels so familiar, as if she's been here before.

Life, unfortunately, has a way of stealing the joy or whatever remaining, from a person for no good reason at all, and that moment comes for her like a thief in the night...

The classical station on the radio suddenly switches to a breaking news announcement. She's temporarily miffed that her music has stopped playing but when the announcer begins to talk, that feeling is replaced by sheer horror…fire in Gotham City...minor injuries...nothing fatal...no one in custody...police are investigating…it's all terrible but then, he rattles off Emily's address...

Jupiter immediately turns on the television, silently hoping the whole time that none of this is real, that this is just a drunken hallucination.

Of course, it's much worse than she fears. There on the screen is Emily, holding Mason with tears in her eyes while a pushy reporter bombards her with questions. Tentatively, Jupiter leans in and touches the screen, hoping she can connect with them, somehow. If only she had been there! She can't even comfort them because she's here locked away with Adam. As more tears stream down Emily's face, Jupiter feels her own eyes welling up.

* * *

 

Adam finds her like that when he returns, she's staring at the TV, her expression unreadable.

Approaching her like one would a startled cat, he leans down to talk to her. "Jubee, what's wrong?"

Slowly her eyes sweep over his face, she blinks as if she's only just recognizing him, as if she's now actually _seeing_ him. Her grey eyes fill with terror - instead of the affection she should be staring at him with - she soon erupts into undeniable rage. Her hands fly up to his shoulders and she pushes him angrily. " _You_ did this!"

"Did what?" He asks, truly concerned now.

"How could _you_?" She points a wild hand to the TV where images of a burning house and a woman, Emily's her name, holding a sobbing child, flash on the screen. They are supposed to mean something to him he surmises, but they don't. "Did someone burn her house down or was it an accident?" He succeeds in making his voice sound heavy with worry.

"Don't play dumb with me Adam, you did this! You wanted her gone. You're so sick! Were you planning to hurt Mason too?" Jupiter screams, looking away. Her tearful eyes move back to the TV screen and he realizes that he's losing her, all over again.

He reaches out a hand to her, he can't stand to see her like this. It's heartbreaking. She should never be sad, not when she's the light in his world. The only person he ever truly cares for. His beloved..."Jubee?"

But she moves away. "I-I have to go."

"Where are you going, Jupiter?"

"Anywhere that's far from you."

He doesn't mean to do it, he really doesn't. But sometimes he just can't control himself, he can't stop it before it happens. It just happens: he slaps her. It's like the sound bounces off the walls. All he can hear is the echo of it.

Her lip is bleeding now and she's staring at him in shock. _Holy shit_ , did he really hit her that hard? "Need I remind you again for the hundredth time that you aren't leaving me Jubee? Now, I know you're upset. Maybe Benedetti is responsible for that fire, who knows? Either way, you're staying right here with me. Is that so hard to _understand_?"

She doesn't answer the question. "And if I refuse?" She says defiantly, wiping her bloody lip with the back of her hand. "We have a deal, remember. You promised."

"The only obligation I have is to keep you safe and I can't do that if you want to run back to Gotham the second something happens."

She's silent again, staring at him with a vicious intensity that he doesn't want to think about. He clears his throat before turning off the TV and immersing the place in darkness. "I hate hurting you. But you just make it so difficult, Jupiter."

He isn't too surprised when she rises to her feet, brushing past him as she walks away.

She may never stop wanting to struggle and fight, but the victory will always be his.


	21. Paint it Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She eyes me like a Pisces when I am weak  
> I've been locked inside your heart-shaped box for weeks  
> I've been drawn into your magnet tar-pit trap  
> I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black"
> 
> 'Heart Shaped Box' Nirvana

Jupiter and Mitchell are still missing - it's been three weeks. Three _long_ , tedious weeks. Emily Thatcher's house has been burned down - - proven to be arson - fortunately they finally have a suspect; unfortunately the suspect is none other than Emily's ex-husband Eric Cooper.

Blake highly doubts that Eric had anything to do with it - he can't exactly put his finger on why but he has a hunch that the man's innocent.

Fletcher apparently shares his views except he's more vocal about it.

"I'm telling you, Blake, this is Benedetti's doing. He's playing a game with us."

Fletcher seems to have his own speculations, but Benedetti has a very good defense attorney. This just may be the most twisted, lethal game they have ever had to participate in, but Blake figures that if he's going to be a player, he might as well bring everything he has onto the table.

He's been doing research, going to the Gotham Library, peering through stacks and stacks of files, doing his best sleuthing and nothing points to Benedetti. It's puzzling, but Blake won't quit -he's already in way too deep.

But then things go to shit when Cooper confesses. It catches Blake off guard. He doesn't _want_ to believe it - Cooper faces a five to ten year prison sentence, and losing custody of his son as well as all forms of contact. The list of cons far outweigh the pros where motive is concerned. And yet all signs point to him - his alibi is completely nonexistent, he has motivation (Emily divorced him and his efforts to repair their relationship have been effective but slow going) . To make matters even worse, at least two witnesses have admitted that they saw him at the scene, the night the crime was committed.

None of this makes sense and yet, at the same time, it sort of does. It doesn't help that with Cooper's confession, the media and the general public now have someone they can take their fear and anger out on. It makes it incredibly difficult for the force to do its job. The media have a knack for polluting everything they get wind of and warping the opinions of the public. This whole thing is turning into a scandal and that bothers Blake to no end.

Gotham City is convinced that Eric Cooper is a monster, a monster worse than Mike Benedetti. That thought is just one of the things keeping Blake from sleeping at night.

* * *

 

Blake arrives at the precinct, tired, stressed out and completely dreading the thought of putting all of his remaining energy into working and having nothing to show for it. No matter how much effort they exert, nothing is getting any better.

He's nodding to several of his colleagues in greeting and making his way to his office when he accidentally bumps into someone. He apologizes profusely, but when he sees the person, he can't help but feel even worse. For one thing, the man is obviously homeless (if his tattered clothes and ruffled hair are any indication) and secondly, he's much older than Blake and he seems to be confused. "Are you lost, sir?" Blake asks, putting on a friendly smile.

The man shakes his head in the negative.

"I-I have something to say about Eric Cooper."

Blake frowns, he isn't pleased that there is yet another person who feels it is their responsibility to announce to the entire police department just how much Eric Cooper is hated.

"That's really not necessary, sir. Can I help you with anything else?"

It is the man's turn to frown. "Eric Cooper is innocent, it is one of your officers who's responsible for that fire."

"Son of a bitch." Fletcher curses, walking in. "Do you know who did it? Did you see anyone's face?"

Blake is stunned. _What in the world?_

The man nods. "I did."

"Are you sure? Because that is a huge accusation." Blake can feel his voice shaking.

"Are you sure you aren't crazy?" Fletcher asks, earning him a glare from Blake.

"Oh he isn't crazy." Fletcher and Blake turn around to find Officer Moody watching the homeless man with glee. "He's actually a hundred percent correct, too bad he's too little too late," he pulls out a cigarette and with a shaky hand, puts it to his lips, "there's going to be so much blood."

Fletcher goes up and grabs Moody while Blake stands in front of the homeless man, protecting him from any harm with his hand already hovering over his gun in case things get ugly. "What are you talking about?" Fletcher barks.

Moody coughs, a spatter of blood escapes his throat and wets Fletcher's face. The corrupt cop starts to tremble violently and his eyes roll back in his head. He manages to choke out a "No. One. Is. Safe." Fletcher - in a moment of panic - releases him from his hold. Moody's body makes a harsh _thud_ when it falls to the ground.

Blake hears Fletcher curse and shout his name but as if in a trance, he can't seem to move or respond. His brain just does not want to process what it just witnessed. _No one is safe..._ The homeless man starts to pray and that somehow snaps Blake back to reality. "Cooper, we have to get Cooper."

* * *

 

"Moody and a bunch of guys cornered me on my way to work, about a month ago. They put me on the phone with Benedetti, h-he told me what Moody was going to do. He said that they were only burning the house down as a message. But if I didn't take the blame for the fire, Emily and Mason were going to pay the price next time, for real. Benedetti told me that all I had to do was make sure that my family wasn't home that night, that I should be there at the scene of the crime and then lie and say that I did it." Eric admits, tears streaming down his face. "I didn't know what to do."

"You were lost and scared, it's understandable. You weren't really given much of a choice either and you didn't have an eternity to make that choice. Hell, it kind of feels as if we're all running out of time. The pressure isn't making us think clearly." Smith nods. "We thought Moody was one of us, I can't imagine how he was able to go unnoticed for so long. I guess with all that was going on we weren't paying much attention."

Cooper rakes a hand through his dark hair. "What happened to that creep?"

"He intentionally overdosed on prescription medication right there in the precinct."

"Shit."

"Yep."

"Officer Smith?"

"Yes, Mr. Cooper?"

"Even good people do bad things. I bet the Batman walks that line too. Everyone is capable of something."

"My mother always told me that you could possibly lose more than your morals when you do bad things - you could also lose yourself."

Cooper murmurs: "Any chance she told you what to do when that ship has already sailed?"

Smith shrugs. "Simple, really: you find your way back home."


	22. What's Left Behind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're a hard soul to save…"
> 
> Florence and the Machine - 'Over the Love'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I want you to notice when I'm not around…I don't belong here."
> 
> Radiohead - 'Creep'

Her shaky fingers align with the keys of the baby grand piano, and she closes her eyes, trying to will them to perform the song her memory keeps replaying.

The first few keys aren't the right ones. The notes don't fit the song, yet Jupiter persists, her fingers clumsy but determined. She remembers how patient she had to be with herself in the past, and how well it had paid off before. She calls on that patience now.

After a few more awkward tries and some choice cursing, she finally gets most of the keys down, enough for it to sound like actual music. The notes float and bounce off the walls of Adam's entertainment room, and she imagines that she isn't here by herself. She imagines that people are surrounding her, that they're all dressed in evening gowns and fancy suits. They're happily drifting about the room in tandem with the calming melody.

Her father is there, proudly watching as she plays, while her mother sits beside her on the bench, gently stroking Jupiter's hair and swaying softly to the music.

Michael is nearby, teaching his teenaged sister Devy how to waltz. Jupiter can hear her laugh, carefree and light, Michael's encouraging praises making the girl more confident in her motions.

After a couple of minutes performing the beautiful symphony, she hears her mother begin to sing much like she did when Jupiter was younger. Her mother's voice is sweet and silvery, perfect for the lyrics. Jupiter hums along beside her, losing herself in the song.

Once the final notes loom near, her fingers stumble over the keys before freezing completely on the very last one; her heart's reluctance to end the song, _end the moment_ , translates into a battle of will she has no hope of winning.

When her hands halt their playing, a chilling quiet falls over the room. Her parents and the other people in formal clothes begin to slowly fade away - Devy spins around and waves goodbye at Jupiter, before vanishing too. The only person still left is Michael, who smiles at her from across the room. Even from so far Jupiter can see his brilliant blue eyes sparkling with life. He beams at her one final time before taking a bow and dissipating with the rest of them.

The harsh emptiness returns, pure and raw and fiercely caustic. Hollowing out the spaces temporarily filled by the music and her reverie, she feels herself slowly deflate as the emptiness makes its way home. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she says dryly, "Hello darkness, my old friend," before rising up from the bench and walking out of the room.

She's only just closing the door behind her when the shrill beeping of the fire alarm peals through the quiet atmosphere. Frightened, she rushes downstairs, the rising smoke causing her to panic even more.

"Adam?" she calls. The smoke is a bit stinging for her eyes, but she manages to make out his figure standing over the large stove. It doesn't appear as if he's even heard her; he hasn't moved an inch.

She fans away most of the fumes, but her lungs are beginning to itch and it's getting hard to keep moving. _Where is that damn fire extinguisher?_ She finally manages to touch Adam's arm. He flinches and turns his head but that's the only reaction she gets. "What happened?" she asks. She can't really see his face, and it's distressing especially since he isn't responding.

She reaches quickly and turns off each knob on the stove before running to open a few windows. She doesn't see any sign of an actual fire, but the stove's burnt black. She lets out a relieved sigh because most of the smoke is clearing, finally. Exhausted, she chances a glance at him. "Thanks for the help," Jupiter mumbles.

He isn't even looking at her; his expression is distant. Irritated and pissed, she waves a hand in front of his face to get him back to earth. "Do you mind explaining to me why you tried to kill us just now?"

He doesn't answer, predictably, and the beeping is quickly changing from obnoxious to completely intolerable. She finds the alarm and manages to get it to stop by frantically fanning the air around it. Smiling at her victory, she takes a huge breath, reveling in the fact that the air is a lot cleaner now and mostly smoke-free.

She fully plans to go back to ignoring Adam like she has been this past week and is about to do just that when she notices that he's been standing as still as a sculpture. When her eyes appraise him, Jupiter notices for the first time since she came downstairs that his hand is firmly clasped around the handle of a pot.

She winces, because the pot is obviously steaming and she's sure his hand isn't much better off. The temptation is there to leave him be, especially since it doesn't seem as if the pain has even registered in his brain. But the medical professional in her won't even consider it. Sighing, she gently pries his fingers from the handle and, unsurprisingly, he hisses at the sting. Jupiter examines the injury - he's definitely burned the flesh of his hand, it's probably hurting like hell now but it's minor, nothing a little ice can't fix.

He cradles his hand with the other and watches her as she gets the ice cubes into a ziplock bag. She presses it to his palm and her cool, soft fingertips brush across his skin. Her voice is calming as she speaks. "I wouldn't do anymore cooking with that hand if I were you, well... for _now_. It'll be at least a week before the pain becomes bearable enough for you to...why are you looking at me like that?" Her steel grey eyes flare with mild annoyance.

He blinks. "What do you mean? I always look at you like this."

She shrugs, appearing to consider his words. Her tending hands still their motion and she looks away. "Adam, have you ever thought of getting help?"

His jaw clenches and his fingers tighten around the bag of ice. "What kind of help, Jubee?"

Without missing a beat, she answers. "The professional, mental health kind."

"Hmm, so they can fix me? Nothing's really broken, darling."

"I want to believe that there's something inside you worth salvaging. I want to believe that you can be _helped_. I'm not really sure why. Maybe because despite everything, you are a human being."

"And to you, that's enough?"

She shrugs again. "I did love you once. You figure it out."

He nods. With nothing left to say, she rises from her seat and moves to walk away but he calls out her name and she turns around.

"You play beautifully." His eyes are sad when they meet hers. She watches as he begins to shake.

Coming up to him, Jupiter places a comforting hand on his shoulder. He can feel the warmth and the weight of it through his shirt, but just like that the feeling's gone and she's walking away. Once he's sure he's alone, he takes in a deep breath, feeling the sting of his scorched hand. It isn't the _good_ kind of pain. Not at all. He huffs. _It looks like it's going to be pizza for a while. So much for a five-course meal..._


	23. Kiss Me Hard Before You Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Pinky promise
> 
> I'll still love your garden
> 
> Even with no flowers
> 
> Even with no flowers
> 
> Doctor's orders
> 
> Don't be brokenhearted
> 
> Time will still be ours
> 
> Time will still be ours"
> 
> Melanie Martinez, 'Bombs On Monday'

_She has chosen to be with me..._ The derisive words of Mitchell's note echo in Blake's head, spoken by that carefully cruel voice of his that enrages Blake to no end. Mitchell's voice with the practiced restraint, his polite but firm tone that suffocates any and every fragment of serenity Blake gets because it crawls into his head and it does not leave. It stays there even as it mocks him. And it is always mocking him.

But Blake knows that Mitchell's lying. He's a terrific liar. Even though he promised that Jupiter would be safe - and in his own damaged mind - _probably_ _meant every word_ , it isn't possible. Sooner or later they will find trouble or trouble is going to find them. And Blake will be damned if Jupiter or Gotham gets any more wounded because of that jackass. The resulting damage Blake will inflict on Mitchell will be nigh irreparable…

 _Safe? She'd be safer free falling off of a skyscraper than being stuck with you._ Blake thinks to himself.

Fletcher waltzes into Blake's office with a glass of scotch in his hand, his eyes soft and slightly glossy. "Who'd be safer free falling off of a skyscraper?" he asks, quirking an eyebrow.

"Did I say that out loud?" Blake frowns, cursing himself mentally.

Fletcher still looks puzzled. Blake just shrugs. "I was talking to myself."

"You aren't losing it too, are you? Duncan's threatened to break my hand twice already if I got into the scotch, which by the way," he holds up his bandaged hand, "was definitely worth it. Meanwhile Simmons and Smith have been arguing about hot beverages with ridiculous names. I wish I was lying. That's what they've been doing for the past hour. Those two need to hurry up and kiss already." Fletcher lets out a breathless chuckle. "And you'll be pleased to know, that we didn't find any conclusive evidence that Harlow had been communicating with Mitchell the night he broke out of jail and slipped into her room. In fact, we found several unanswered text messages from him in her phone."

Blake blinks, taken aback. "That doesn't make me feel better," he sighs. "He had no _business_ -" Blake stops himself. He doesn't need Fletcher witnessing his frustration about this. He'd probably think that Blake's in way too deep and Blake has no refute for that. Especially since it may very well be the truth. "Were they threatening?" Blake asks, jaw clenching.

Fletcher shakes his head, seeming to not have noticed Blake's change in demeanor. "No. They were just...disturbing. Things like I love you, you belong with me, I'll never hurt you again, I will always keep you safe, no one else but you Jubee. Apparently she had blocked him several times but he always found a way around that."

Blake visibly cringes. "The sick bastard was trying to be romantic."

Fletcher takes a sip of his scotch, his expression distant now. "I can't exactly say what his intentions were, though I can certainly say that he has a twisted way of doing things. I want you to know that we all are working to find them. We want to put a stop to Benedetti, once and for all."

"I just don't want us to run out of time. I don't want Harlow or _anyone_ to be a pawn in this game anymore. I don't want any more bloodshed. I want it all to be over."

Fletcher somberly nods, looking distant again. Blake wonders if it's simply the scotch or if his colleague is actually being uncharacteristically pensive. "We found a voicemail in Harlow's phone. It's dated a few years. I figured I'd mention it to you if you ever wanted to give it a listen, you know, figure out what goes on inside that head of hers."

Blake smiles. "Thanks, but I don't think she'd want me near her mind. I can't really say that I even belong in her world. I understand her and I want to understand more - if she'd let me." His voice is a low murmur, he's being more honest with Fletcher than he's ever been. It's safe to say that this is a little new to him and a little strange, but as more and more words fall out of his mouth, he begins to feel liberated.

"But if she'd let you, would you want to be there for her?" Fletcher's eyes shine with bald sincerity. It's a stark contrast from the wild card he usually is.

Blake's eyes flash with mild annoyance as well as staggeringly intense, unearthed determination. "I'll be there for her as much as I can, unless she tells me to buzz off."

"I knew you were getting attached to her. Gotta admit, it's nice seeing you getting attached to _somebody_. An actual living, breathing person. But not everyone wants to be understood, not everyone _can_ be. You can't blame her if she ends up pushing you away."

"It'll hurt but I'll respect her wishes. Fletch, I just want her to know that I won't - won't let her down, at least not if I can help it."

Fletcher's smile is crooked and impish when Blake looks across at him. "I like this new you. You're a bit lame, but the change, it's...promising."

An effortless smile crests Blake's face and he laughs. It trembles throughout his whole body, relaxing him. "I think I need a drink myself, now," he says after a few beats.

His colleague tops off his glass and smacks his lips comically. "Sorry but, you're on your own, pal. Duncan says she's breaking fingers next."

Later, when Blake has his coat on and is finally getting ready to head home, he stops by Duncan's desk. She seems peacefully resigned to taking the reprimand she knows must be coming, but her face lights up in surprise when all Blake does is stare at her expectantly, eyebrow raised in silent curiosity. "His girlfriend asked me to look out for his liver," she casually explains. "She did say 'by any means necessary.'" Blake doesn't miss the wink she gives to punctuate that sentence.

* * *

 

_Jupiter? This is Michael...listen, I don't think I have much time. Let's just say that my heart isn't holding up very well, heh. But listen, I don't want you worrying about me at all, crazy girl...Don't worry about me. Worry about the animals, take care of yourself for them...and the music - I see the way your face lights up when Tobias plays. You love it. Never be ashamed of the pieces of yourself that you discover. Don't ever try to hide them...You don't need to stifle your own dreams...you're a brave girl, so, so, brave, but, honestly, you'll be stifling a lot more than your dreams if you keep drinking. I'm not your mom or dad, I know that, but I care about you. Don't let that alcohol consume you. Please? It's tried to take you away from me, turn you against everyone, even yourself...Don't ever let it…And please take care of yourself, so the next time you end up in a hospital you'll be old and fragile and have seen all there is to see...I love you...I wish I had said it enough...I hope I'll see Gran and of course, I'll tell her you said hi...you hear that? That's the sound of people panicking right now and it's awful. May you never have to surround yourself with things like this...Always remember that no matter what, you will always be my best friend...I have to go now...Please don't throw your life away, you're more lucky than even you realize...You and I were never very good with words, and I'm afraid that I'm probably rambling right now, but God, I'm going to miss you and Devy and Mom and Dad, Tobias, even people from high school. Thanks to you guys, my relatively short life, all things considered, was pretty fantastic. Thank you for making it mean something. If I can, I'll call you again, okay? But for now, I guess this is goodbye...*click*_

**Author's Note:**

> <3


End file.
